A New Path
by LLSmoothJ
Summary: CHAPTER 18 UP: Yuna has defeated Kaiba in a duel.  Now Kaiba'll have to do whatever she asks of him.  What will it be?  Also, Tea and the gang say goodbye to the Gullwings and go back to Domino, but is this really the end?  COMPLETED!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. Thank you, and drive through.

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**Chatper 1:** Prologue...

Battle City was over. Once again, Yugi Moto proved that he was the king of games as he defeated Marik Ishtar in the finals. Peace was restored to Domino city. Everything, as we know it, was back to the norm….or is it?

That's what Tea Gardner wondered.

Was everything really back to normal? Was everything the same as it was before? She didn't think so.

Ever since Battle City ended, she felt as if she was drifting away, or rather being pushed away from her friends. As if there was a single force that was isolating her from her.

Her name was Serenity Wheeler.

Everytime Tea wanted to hang with her friends, Serenity was right there beside them. Even when she was around, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan would ignore her and focus their attention to Serenity. It was as if she wasn't even there.

"Ow, dat hurt!" Joey rubbed his head where the briefcase hit him.

"What's the matter, Wheeler?" A guy with dark brown hair stood before him with a smirk. He appeared to be 16 years of age. "Can't the puppy dog see where he's going?"

"Kaiba…" Joey seethed. "Watch where ya swinging that thing, ya Jerk!"

"If I remembered correctly, you were trying to trip me. But that didn't go as well, didn't it Mutt."

"Piss off, Seahorse!"

To say that Joey Wheeler and Seto Kaiba weren't the best of friends would be an understatement. Just about everytime these two would meet, Chaos would ensure. Whether an impromptu duel challenge is made (usually with Kaiba turning Joey down, or accepting and beating him), or a fight breakout which usually get them into trouble at School. Joey usually got into trouble more than Kaiba due to both his temper and his mouth.

Kaiba just smirked. "I'm not going to waste my time on a 3rd-rate duelist like you, Wheeler. Why don't you find a dog biscuit or something."

Tea knew what was going to happen. Joey was going to lose his temper and start yet another fight with Kaiba which would result a visit to the principle's office. She knew that she had to stop him. She decided as she rushed toward the two.

"That's it, Kaiba!" Joey snapped. "LET'S DANCE!" He decided to go for a shot at Kaiba.

"Joey stop!" An auburn-haired girl stepped in his way in an attempt to prevent him from attacking Kaiba. "Don't do it, Big Brother!" Since Battle City, she has moved in with her Joey and their father after seeing as much as she liked it in Domino.

"Serenity, move out the way! That creep has it coming to him."

"That's right, Wheeler." Kaiba grinned. "I wouldn't want you to be humiliated in front of your sister…but then again, it wouldn't be the first time, wouldn't it."

"YOU'RE GOIN' DOWN YOU RICH BASTARD!" Joey wasn't going to be disrespected in front of his own sister.

"Joey please…Let's go!" Serenity begged. "He's not worth it!"

Joey groaned out of frustration. "Alright..." He glared at Kaiba as he walks off with his sister.

"But…I was supposed to do that…" Tea sighed as they walked passed her without even noticing. She shrugged it off. So what if Serenity prevented Joey from making a fool out of himself for the millionth time. It was more of blessing anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

After School, Tea decided to head for Burger World. She figured that was where her friends we going after school to get a quick bite to eat. She figured that things would be the same as they were before…or so she thought.

"You WHAT?" Joey snapped at his friend next to him as he then placed him in a tight Full Nelson. "TRISTAN I'M GOINNA KILL YOU!"

"Hey…Joey…All I did was just asked out your sister." He responded as he winced in pain. "Calm down!"

"I'LL SHOW YA CALM!" Joey added more pressure to the hold.

"Let go, you asshole!"

"Uh oh…" Tea thought. She knew she needed to stop them before it becomes to the point that they'll be kicked out, as people were beginning to stare. Joey and Tristan were best friends, but sometimes they got into a few fights which she usually had to break up and reminded them that they were friends. She decided to go over and stop them.

"Let him go, Joey!" Serenity protested, a bit angry. "All he did was asked me out, nothing more!"

"But…he could've asked me about it!" He replied.

"Since when do you decide who I date!?" Serenity responded, offended.

"She looks cute when she's angry." Tristan stated with a smile.

"Joey, let him go! You guys are friends, and friends shouldn't fight!"  
  
This angered Tea. Usually, she was the rock of the group. She always kept the group together and was the number one cheerleader. But lately, Serenity has been taking over those roles as of late. Today was the day Tea began to get frustrated over the whole thing. First at School, and now this? She even was stealing her friendship speeches.

"We've all been though so much together and we shouldn't throw it all away over a simple date!"

Tea was in disbelief. What did Serenity mean when she said that they been though "so much together?" Was she there when Yugi, Joey, Mokuba, Mai, and Kaiba were in Kaiba's virtural land? Was she there at Duelist Kingdom? Was she there when Yugi's grandpa had to go to the hospital after he was sent to the Shadow Realm by Pegasus?

Joey sighed. "Yer right, Sis…" He released the hold on Tristan, but Tristan decided to get a bit of revenge as he placed a Full Nelson of his own on Joey!

"HOW DOES IT FEEL, JERK!?" He screamed.

"Guys…" Serenity sighed as she then slapped both of them.

"Sorry…" They both said that the same time, both feeling ashamed.

"What's going on, guys!" Tea asked, walking over. Despite that she already knew.

"Nothing..." All three of them said as Tristan released the hold on Joey. They decided to not worry Tea about the situation.

"Okay then…FINE!" Tea snapped as she walked off. 'I can't believe that they lied to me…' She thought after leaving Burger World.

"What's wrong with Tea?" Serenity asked, concerned about her.

"Who knows?" Joey shrugged.

Tea was walking on the sidewalk by herself, looking down. "What's going on?" She thought. It was as if she didn't even know them anymore. Or maybe she managed to end up in a parallel universe. Or perhaps it was all in her head. She decided that a hot shower would calm her nerves…

After about 90 minutes passed, Tea stepped out of the house in a quick change of clothes. What she was wearing wasn't out of what she normally wore. Just a sleeveless yellow shirt, red mini skirt, and tan boots with the only accessory being a black belt. She decided to go to the Turtle Game Shop to see Yugi. If there was anyone she knew would appreciate her, it was him.

In the shop, Yugi and Serenity were sitting at a table, along with a deck of cards.

"Yugi, could you teach me how to duel?" Serenity asked.

"But I figured Joey or Tristan would teach ya." Yugi responded, surprised that she asked him of all people to teach her.

"Yes, but I want to know the best combos. After all, you are the King of Games, right?" She smiled. She knew that Joey was a good duelist, but she recently found out that Tristan lied to her about being the one who taught her brother how to duel. However, she forgave him…eventually.

"Yeah…"  
  
"So how's about it, Yugi?"

"I don't see why not..." He said as he began. "Now, as you know that 5 types of cards: Monster Cards, Monster Cards with special abilites, Magic Cards, Trap Cards, and Ritual Cards."  
  
Serenity nodded. "That's right."

"Also, there are some monsters that required either some monsters to sacrifice monsters like Summoned Skull, or specific monsters to sacrifice along with a ritual card to summon certain monsters like the Black Luster Ritual to summon Black Luster Soldier. The amount of monster needed to summon varies with the monster and ritual card."

"I see."

Yugi continued as he showed the card, Dark Magician Girl. "For Monster cards with special abilities, such as Dark Magician Girl, they can be activated depending on the card itself. For example, Dark Magician Girl receives 300 attack points for every Dark Magician or Magician of Black Chaos in either graveyard."

"So you're saying that if I had a Dark Magician in my graveyard and my opponent also had a Dark Magician in his or her graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl would get 600 additional attack points, increasing it to 2600?"

"True, but if your opponent also played a Dark Magician Girl, his or her Dark Magician Girl would also get the 600 attack points boost."

"Wow Yugi," Serenity giggled. "Maybe Duel Monsters won't be as hard as I thought."

Tea opened the door as she walked in. She then noticed Yugi and Serenity. 'Not her again…' She thought. First it was at School, then at Burger World, now This! She knew she was Joey's sister, but couldn't she just find a life of her own without interfering in hers? Just who did she think she was?

"Hey Tea!" Yugi waved at Tea.

"How are you?" Serenity asked Tea.

"…." Tea couldn't think of anything to say. What was she supposed to say? "Oh nothing, guys. Just fine, even though you fail to remember that I exist?" The only thing that came from her mouth was "Fine! Everything's just fine, isn't it Serenity?"

"Wha-What do you mean, Tea?" Serenity replied. Surprised that Tea was acting this way.

"You know what I mean! Ever since you've been here, you've been trying to steal my friends."

"Tea…I would never…"

"I didn't mind you being around Joey and Tristan. Joey's your brother, and Tristan's helplessly in love with you. But this is where the draw the line!"

Yugi was so shocked that he couldn't say anything, only just watched as Tea expressed her emotions. He had no idea Tea actually felt this way.

"Tea, why are you acting this way?"

"Stop it. Just stop, alright!" With a tear, Tea ran out of the Domino shop.

"Tea, wait!" Yugi shouted, as he got up and ran after her, but it was too late as she was already gone.

With tears in her eyes, Tea ran as far as she could. Why was this happening? Why was her world falling apart? What did she do to deserve this? She wasn't watching where she was going until she ran into someone. She was knocked down and when she looked up, Kaiba was standing in front of her.

"Can't you geeks watch where you're going?" He snapped as he brushed off his black trench coat.

"Look Kaiba…" She sniffed as she stood up. "Just leave me alone."

"What's wrong, Tea?" He asked. He didn't actually care, but was a bit curious. "You look as though you lost a best friend."

"What do you care!" She snapped. "Why don't you ask Serenity?"

"Serenity? Wheeler's sister? She is popular, isn't she?" He chuckled.

"Of course she is! She just has about every guy's attention."

Kaiba let out another chuckle. "If I actually cared, and that's a huge 'if,' I'd say you're jealous."

"What do I have to be jealous of? Her long auburn hair, her bright smile, her-"

"Whatever…Get a life…" Kaiba begins to walk off, then stops as he gets an idea. "Tea?"

"What do you want now, Kaiba?" Tea asked, now more annoyed than she was sad.

"What if I said that there was a way that you could get back at them? You know, teach them a lesson for the way they treated you, as well as their lack of appreciation for you?"

This grabbed Tea's attention. She was intrigued with the idea of seeing how her so-called friends would feel if she wasn't around any more. "Wha-What do want me to do?"

"It's simple Tea, just leave."

"Leave?"

"It's real simple. If they really care about you, they'll miss you and go look for you…" He smiled. He figured that if he could at least get rid of _one_ of Yugi's friends, he would be happy.

"But…where would I go?"

"I'm glad you asked that question." Kaiba opened his briefcase as he then produced a sphere-like device. "This is the latest invention from Kaiba Corp: The Transphere! It's a gateway to different dimensions. Even places where you thought never existed." He gave the device to Tea.

She examined the device with a skeptical look on her face. How was this supposed to be a transportation device? "Kaiba, are you sure this will work."

"Tea, when was the last time any device by the Kaiba Crporation didn't work?" He asked.

"Good point…" Tea nodded. "So how does this work?" She asked, still doubtful that it'll work.

Kaiba sighed. "All you have to do is to press that red button and you'll be transported to a place at random."

Tea narrowed her eyes, "Random, Kaiba?"

"IT'S A PROTOTYPE, TEA!" He snapped.

"Okay…calm down…"

"Hmph…Just have fun Tea." Kaiba grabbed his briefcase as he walked away with a smile.

"Umm…Thanks Kaiba." Tea said. Still skeptical about how this could work.

"No need. It was my pleasure." Kaiba headed toward his limo with an evil grin on his face. 'Besides…' He thought, 'Nobody will care that you're gone anyway…'

At home, Tea was finished packing her belonging, as well as writing a note to her parents, explaining where and what she was doing. After the events which occurred with her friends, as well as the fact that Mai was touring the world, and Duke was busy with his game shop. Not to mention that Bakura was MIA. She had no reason to stay. But what if she was wrong about everything that was going on with Serenity? She couldn't face her friends. Not after the way she acted. She knew that there was only on thing to do…

Tea grabbed her bag as she then looked at the Transphere she received from Kaiba. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the right decision. It was the perfect way to see if her so-called friends truly cared about her. She held the sphere as she then pressed the button. A bright blue light began to emit from the sphere. "Is this supposed to happen?" She asked. There was no turning back now as a huge flash filled the room. After the flash disappeared, Tea Gardener was no longer in Domino.


	2. Angry Beedrill, A HairChanging Psycho, &...

Authors Note: I don't own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dragonball, or Final Fantasy X/X2 Franchise.

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**Chapter 2:** Angry Beedrill, a Crazy Psycho Woman, and the Thunderstorm that Never Ends.

Tea Gardener opened her eyes as she found herself laying on the ground in a dark forest. "Uh oh…." She thought. When she used the Transphere, there was the possibility of ending up in an unusual place, but she figured that it wouldn't be at least dark. She places the sphere away as she grabbed her bag and proceeded to find a way out of the forest.

"It's sure dark in here…" Tea commented on the forest as unexpectedly, a Wurmple drops on her head. She places her hand on the Wurmple, wondering what fell on top of her head. However, after she felt it, she became freaked out.

"GETTITOFFGETTITOFFGETTITOFF!" Tea ran in circles, freaked about it being on her head. She then ran into a tree.

'…ow…" Tea recovered from her collision. "At least that worm's off my head." She sighed as then a buzzing sound can be heard. Tea looked up as she then saw a Beedrill. "Umm…"

"Beedrill!" The "giant bee" was then joined by a swarm of it. From their expression, they weren't exactly too trilled that Tea ruined their rest.

"Uh…oh…" Tea backed away, frightened. "Just what have I gotten myself into?" The Beedrill flew at Tea with violent intensions on their mind which caused her to run for her life.

"Why me…" She said to herself as she made it out from the woods, but the Beedrill wouldn't let up. They intended to teach Tea a lesson which she would never forget. "I'm doomed…" She mewed as she found a red and white sphere-like object. "Go away!" She screamed, just as she about to throw the object.

"Forretress, Explosion!" A figure jumped up as he threw a pokeball. Out popped out a Forretress beginning to glow, which soon lead to an explosion. The object Tea threw earlier hit one of the Beedrill which then opened and trapped one inside.

"Huh?" Tea looked on, curious. "What this supposed to happen?" She wondered as the ball was shaking on the ground. After a few more moments, the red light on the face on the object then shut off.

Tea approached the object. "Umm…what just happened?" 

The figured walked up to Tea. "You just caught the Beedrill!"

"A…what?" She turned around and saw the figure.

He had brown spiky hair and a dark tan. His eyes looked as if it were squinting. He was wearing a brown coat, brown pants, and blue and white trainers. "You must be new here in Petalburg City!" He said

"Petalburg City?" That was the final piece of proof that Tea needed to know that the Transphere worked. She never even heard of Petalburg City so she knew that it wasn't somewhere near Domino.

"Yeah..." He gave her a shocked expression. "Definitely not around here…" He thought as he extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Brock! And you?"

"I'm Tea Gardener! From Domino." She shook his hand. However, Brock didn't release his grip.

"My…" He smiled, "You look beautiful. Are your parents artists? Because you are a fine work of art!"

"Er…Thanks." Tea began to feel nervous around him, especially with his bad pick-up lines.

Before Brock could continue, he was pulled away by the ear by a boy who appeared to be eight years of age. He had hair which the length went to his neck and wore green shirt, brown shorts, and green trainers. Save for a pair of glasses. "That's enough from you." He said to him. Annoyed that Brock did this to EVERY girl he saw.

"Ow…the ear…cut it out, Max!" Brock winced as he was being dragged away.

Tea couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Then a voice asked. "Hi! So you're from Domino?" She looked back as she saw a brow-haired girl who appeared to be 10 years of age. She wore a red shirt and black bike shorts. Save for the red bandana. She rushed toward Tea. "I'm May! So tell me Tea, how is like there? Are there any Malls? What are the lastest fashions?"

"Uhh…It's okay." Tea didn't know what to say, as she was being overwhelmed by May. Everything was going so fast. She's met three people already. Brock, she figured out to be somewhat of a pervert. Max appeared to be the more cooler of the three. While May as abit like her. Tea always enjoyed shopping at Domino Mall, buying all the latest fashions, even more with some friends. This reminded Tea about the good old days. After school, her Yugi, Tristan, and Joey would hang out at Yugi's Grandpa's gameshop. It was the same place where they made the famous Frienship Circle. But now…it wasn't much different from the dead.

Tea held up the Pokeball which contained the Beedrill she "caught." "Any idea what I'm supposed to do with this?"  
  
Max narrowed his eyes. "Definitely not from here…" He mumbled as he then looked towards Tea, "You're supposed to train it. Duh! Don't you have any other Pokemon?"

"Pokemon?" Tea replied, confused. "What's a Pokemon?" This caused everyone else to do an anime-like faint.

"Your kidding, right?" Brock asked, just as annoyed as Max.

"You mean that you actually don't know what a Pokemon is?" May was just in shock.

"Like I said, I'm not from around here." Tea explained.

May closed her eyes as she began to think. "Now that you mention it, I never heard of Domino City before I met you."

'She must be kidding…' Max thought about what Tea said. Everyone and their grandmother had a pokemon or at least heard about them. He decided to approach Tea in an attempt to get to the bottom of this.

"Max, what's up?" Tea asked as she then saw him trying to take her bag. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just wondering what you have in here." Max smiled as he began to dig through her bag. He managed to produce the Transphere! "A-HA! I knew you were faking."

"Hey! Give that back!" Tea protested.

"What is this anyway? Some type of pokeball?" Max examined the Transphere.

"That's not a pokeball!" Tea protested. "Don't press that-"

"Press what?" Max asked as he pressed the red button. Suddenly, it began to glow again.

"Uh-oh…I don't think that's a pokeball!" May looked a bit worried as she watched the Transphere's activation.

"Thank you Captain Obvious!" Max retorted.

"Give me that!" Tea snatched the Transphere away from him as she tried to find away to stop it. But to no avail, a flash was once again emitted. After the flash disappeared, Tea was gone.

"Wha…Where did she go?" Brock asked, having moves his hand from his eyes.

"I don't know…" May replied, freaked out by the whole thing.

"Hey guys!" A black-haired boy wearing light blue jeans, blue trainers, and a blue and black shirt. Save for a hat with a green pokeball insignia on the face, and a Pikachu on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Long story, Ash." Brock stated.

"Pika?" Pikachu was also intrigued with what happened.

Back in Domino City!

"She's WAT!?" Joey replied. He had just received the news from Yugi that Tea was gone.

"Tea's parents gave me a note saying that she was leaving." Yugi explained. "She didn't say where she went, nor if or when she's coming back."

"This is all my fault…" Serenity cried. "Tea thought I stayed to ruin her life and now she's gone. And it's because of me." Tears began to pour out from her eyes as Serenity bawled. She was convinced that she was the clear reason why she left. In Serenity's mind, Tea thought that she was replacing her in the friendship circle ever since she came to Domino.

"Don't worry, Sis. It's not yer fault!" Joey assured his sister. "It's gotta be some misunderstandin' or somethin'. It's not like Tea to leave like that."

"Oh I wish I never came to Domino!" Serenity screamed before going back to crying. She leaned onto Joey's chest.

Joey hugged her sister. "I know ya feel responsible about this, but now yer goin' a bit too far."

"We're going search the entire city, Serenity. Don't worry." Yugi assured her. 'Why couldn't I've seen this sooner?' He thought. He also felt responsible for what has happened. He felt as if he could've prevented this. In all honesty, Yugi always had deep feelings for Tea, but he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid she didn't share the same feelings which would put their friendship into Jeopardy. People often mistake them for boyfriend and girlfriend because they were always together, but in his heart, Yugi wished that it was true. If anything would've happened to Tea, he wouldn't know what he'd do, let alone if he could live with himself.

Tea opened her eyes, as the flash was gone. "Well that was odd…" She said to herself. She looked down at the pokeball which contained her Beedrill. "At least I got a souvenir from that place." She placed the ball and the Transphere back in her bag. "Now where am I?" She asked as she looked around. This time she found herself in a city, which was better than being in a dark forest. She then begin to explore as the high heel of her boot landed on a small blue capsule as she then falls back, landing on her butt.

"Ow…" Tea got back up on her feet as she picked up the capsule and examined it. "Wonder what this does?" She looked around until she saw a dome-like building with the words "Capsule" clearly printed in black Text at the top. "That explains where this came from." She figured. "Wonder what in here…" She said as she opens the capsule…

Smoke then became to form from the capsule as Tea begins to regret her decision to open them. After the smoke disappeared, she found a rack filled with clothing, mostly produced by Capsule Corp. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary: T-shirts, pants, and boots. "Am I hallucinating?" She thought as she viewed a pink Baby Tee with the worlds "Capsule" clearly printed on the front. She checked the tag as it clearly had the Capsule Corp logo. She looked around as she then saw people opening capsule similar to her's, but instead of a new wardrobe, it was to access cars, laptops, motorcycles and other such things. "If I knew a way to get home I could use this to pack up all of my belongings…" Tea said to herself as she looked at her capsule.

"You could store a lot in that capsule if you want." Said a female voice behind Tea.

"Excuse me?" Tea looked behind her as she saw a woman with long blue hair dressed in a black tanktop, green pants, and brown boots.

"The Capsule Corporation is well known for most of the technology you see here in West City." She explained.

"West City?" That was all she needed to realize that Tea was yet again in another dimension.

"That's right." The woman continued. "People here use capsule to store their items when they're on the move. Perfect if you're looking for the perfect spot to place your house. Or if all the parking spots are full." Her eyes then went wide in response. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Launch!"

"I'm Tea." She introduced herself. "So where are you going?"

"I'm going to the World Tournament of Martial Arts." Launch explained. "It's become so popular that it's only held every five years. You should go. All the fighters from all over the world travel from all over to meet at one place."

'Reminds me of Battle City…' Tea thought as she listened to what Launch had to say.

"So anyway, where are you from?"

"It's a long story." Tea stated. Suddenly, a trail of dust blew near Launch's nose.

"…oh no…ah….ah…" Launch tried to hold back her sneazing , but to no avail. "…ah… AH-CHOO!" After she sneezed, Launch's hair went from blue to blonde. Her expression then change from happiness to anger.

"Whoa! Your hair changed!" Tea exclaimed in shock.

"What about it!" She replied. Even her voice changed from the sweet and friendly voice that first met Tea to the tougher, gangster-like voice.

"Launch…" Tea asked, wondering if she should be running right now. "Are you okay?" Launch's current state reminded her about her friend Bakura and the spirit in the Millennium Ring

"Of course I am, Girly. What? Ya think there's somethin' wrong with me?"

"Uhh…No! It's not that…it's just-"

"What?" She snapped as she took out a machine gun. It was already loaded. Her sudden change of attitude freaked out Tea who grabbed her bag and ran as far as she could. "Hey! Get back here, Dollface!" She screamed as she ran after Tea, firing the machine gun at her.

"She's crazy!" Tea thought as she looked for the Transphere. Right now the only thing that was on her mind was getting away from Launch and didn't care where did she ended up. _Anywhere_ would be better than where she was now. She made a turn, hoping to lose the trigger-happy psychopath but ended up runing into a dead end. "Great…" She said to herself as she continued to search.

"End of the line, Dollface…" Launch snickered manically as she reloaded her bullets.

Tea managed to produce the Transphere as she quickly pressed the button. "Guess again, Psycho!" The flash emited from Transphere blinded Launch temporarly. After the flash dissapeared, Tea was gone.

"Hey! Where'd dat broad go?" She asked as then suddenly… "Ah….ah…No not now…AH-CHOO!" Just like that, her hair color changed back to blue. She looked down at her hands which carried the machine gun. "Oh my!" Launch dropped the weapon, freaked about what she might've done. She was back to her sweet and caring self. The manical and gun-crazed woman no longer existed. She looked around, "How did I end up here? Tea? Tea? Where'd she go?"

Tea looked around in the latest location she found herself in. "Maybe dealing with Launch wasn't so bad…" Tea sighed as she stood near a tower with a lightning rod on the top. "Great…it's lightning without the rain…" She looked around, seeing if there was even a safe place to avoid being struct by lightning...

"Heo, fryt's ib?" A blonde-haired man walked up to her, dressed in yellow boots, white pants, and a red and blue vest. Save for wearing a pair of goggles. (Translation: Hey! What's up?)

"Umm…" Tea just looked on, confused. She thought that not only did she end up in a different dimension, but this time none of them speak the same language.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't speak Al Bhed." He said. "I was just saying Hi!"

'Al Bhed?' Tea thought, but shrugged it off. "Oh, hello!" Tea looked around. "Where am I?"

"You're at the Thunder Plains." He explained. "The only place in Spira where the sun never shines and lightning strikes 24-7!"

"Spira!?" She thought. It seemed in addition she wasn't even on Earth, but on a different planet all together. But the more important issue was the continuous thunderstorms in this place. "You mean that I'll always be at risked of being shocked to my death here!?"  
  
He laughed. "Of course not. Not with these towers. They were most recently collaborated so lightning will never strike you."

"That's nice to know… Thanks." Tea said as she walked off wondering if there's a way out of the plains. She began to wonder if she should've taken Kaiba's offer and used the Transphere to leave Domino, looking back at what happened. She was attacked by Beedrills, almost killed by a lunatic. And now she had to travel through the land where the lightning never stops… "Yugi…I wish you were here…"


	3. RunIn With The Syndicate! The Rescue Mis...

Disclamer: I don't own anything from the Yu-Gi-Oh/Final Fantasy X-2 Franchise.

**Chapter 3:** Run-In With The LeBlanc Syndicate!

At Burger World, Yugi and Joey were sitting at a table waiting for the order they made at the counter…

"Hey Yuge, when's takin' so long?" Joey asked. "I'm starved!"

"You must be really hungry, Joey." Yugi mused at his friend's impatience.

Tea walked in and spotted them. "Wonder what they're talking about…" She thought as she decided to walk towards them. To her, Burger World meant a lot. This was the place where Tea, Yugi, and Joey really began to talk to her. It was at in this place at the same table Yugi and Joey were currently at was where she told them about her dream to become a dancer. "Hey guys!" She greeted them.

"Hey!" They both replied as they stood up.

"A new music store just opened up at the mall and I was jus-" Tea was just passed by as Yugi and Joey went towards Serenity, who had also just arrived.

"What's up, Sis?" Joey asked.

"A new music store jst opened up at the mall and I was just wondering if you'd like to check it out with me." She explained.

"Sure!" They both said at the same time.

Tea was irate. She was just about to suggest the same thing, and to make things worse, they acted as if she was invisible. "Hey guys! What's up? Why are you treating me as if-"

"Everyone's waiting for us outside. Tristan, Duke, Mai…the whole gang!" Serenity briefed with them.

"All right!" Joey shouted. "Now that I'm thinkin' about it, I'll stop by the shop to get some more cards to beef up my deck a bit." He grinned.

"Hello! Guys?" Tea shouted at them, but to no avail.

"And when the new tournament starts, I'm going to be right behind you 100%!" Serenity grinned with a giggle.

"Maybe it'll be Duelist Kingdom all over again!" Yugi said with excitement. "Just think about it, Joey and I in the final two, with you, Tristan, Duke, Mai, and Bakura watching."

"What about me? Am I chopped liver?" Tea asked, but to her dismay, Yugi didn't hear her. This couldn't be happening, she thought. Why Yugi and Joey, two of her closest friends, were ignoring her while placing all of their attention on Serenity? It was as if she never existed. Tea knew that she had to do something… As they were about to leave, Tea tried to stop them.

"Guys, wait!" Tea placed a hand on Joey's shoulder but it just when right through. She couldn't even touch him, or even smack him by the way she was feeling right now. "No…this can't be happening…" A tear began to come out of her eye, as she witnessed her world falling down on her. "Guys…wait! Please! Don't leave me… WAIT!"

Tea's eyes were wide open when she sat up on the single-sized bed, awakening from the nightmare. "It was just a dream…" She said to herself. Despite the non-stop lightning, she had managed to come across a travel agency in the Thunder Plains to stay for the night. She switched on the lamp as she then slipped on her boots. She knew that she'll have a long day ahead of her if she wanted to get out of the plains.

Back at Domino…

"Tea! Tea!" Yugi shouted as he searched through the city for Tea. He and Joey have been searching throughout Domino all morning to see if there was any lead to where Tea could be.

"It's been 5 hours and we haven't found a single clue…" Joey stated. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was already gone, Yuge."

"Well guys…" Tristan came towards them with Serenity. They too have been searching for Tea. "We've checked the South and West and we haven't found anything where Tea could be." He said.

"Same here." Joey said. "It was like she left without a trace."

"Well Joey," Serenity reminded. "There is one place we haven't looked."

"What place could we've possibl-" Joey just realized where his sister was going with her suggestion. "Ohhh no…I'm not going anywhere near that jerk."

"Joey, please!" Serenity begged. She knew how much he despised Kaiba, but also knew that he was their last chance to find out what happened to Tea.

"She does have a point…" Tristan said while looking at Serenity, which caused her to blush.

"Grr…Okay! But I'm doin' this for Tea." Joey grumbled. "But one dog reference and Kaiba's gonna have ta get used to his food bein' fed through a straw."

"Alight, since we're all in agreement. I guess it's off to-" But before Yugi could finish, a black limo came by at fast speed which made Yugi and co jump, with Joey almost being hit.

"HEY, WATCH WHERE YA GOIN', YA JERK!" He shouted. The limo stopped as it backed up to the group. The back window then rolled down to reveal a certain teen CEO… "I should've known…"

"Well well well…if it isn't the Geek Patrol." Kaiba mused. "Where's Tea? Doesn't she usually hang out with you?"

"We were about to ask you the same question Kaiba." Tristan replied.

"I didn't see Tea…well at least today." He smiled.

"What'd ya mean 'at least today!'" Joey snapped.

"It means I haven't seen her, you stupid Mutt!" Kaiba snapped back.

"DAT'S IT!" Joey went for a punch but Kaiba pulled back up his window which caused him to hurt his own hand. The window went back down, revealing a laughing Kaiba. "You are too predictable, Wheeler."

"Seriously Kaiba, do you know where Tea is?" Serenity asked.

"And why would you care. You didn't seem to be so caring yesterday. At least that's what she told me?"

"What are you talking about?" Yugi asked.

The door opened as Kaiba stepped out from his limo. "She felt that you didn't give a damn about her, so I helped her…"

Yugi blinked, "Helped her? How?"

Kaiba closed his eyes as he smiled. "Let's just say that Tea's no longer in this world." 

"I knew you were behind dis…" Joey seethed. "Tell us everythin' you've done, or prepare to lose all your teeth, you snob!"

Kaiba sighed as he then took out another Transphere. "This is what I gave Tea yesterday. If you press this button, you'll be transported to another world. Maybe you'll find her." He smiled. It would be a blessing in disguise as with Yugi and his friends out of the picture, Kaiba would once again become the number one duelist.

Yugi took the Transphere as he glanced at it. "Then I guess there is one thing to do."

"Eh…Yuge? Are ya sure about dis?" Joey asked, concerned. "I mean, it's a possiblity that we might not return home."

"Joey's right. I mean we could end up worlds apart from Tea and have no way getting home ourselves." Tristan stated.  
  
'That's the point, Monkey-Boy…' Kaiba thought to himself. Ever since the virtual world incident, he couldn't stop thinking about Tristan's mind being stuck inside of a robotic monkey's body. Kaiba was all smiles at the fact that, as he would call them, "The Geeks" were taking the bait. "There is some possibility, but wouldn't it be worth it, just for the chance to get Tea back?" He asked, trying to use their guilt and feelings for Tea to convince them to take that risk.

"Kaiba has a point." Serenity noted. "Tea's our friend and we should risk the chance of never coming home if there's even the smallest chance we can find her."

Tristan looked on, love struck. "You just gotta love how Serenity gives her pep talks."

Joey whapped Tristan on top of the head with the back of his hand, "Keep yer mind outta the gutter!"

"Then it's settled." Yugi prepares to press the button. "Hang on guys. We may not know where we're going, but it'll be best to stick together." Everyone but Kaiba holds on as Yugi presses the button. Just like the Transphere Tea received, it released a bright blue flash. After flash disappeared, Kaiba was the only one left standing. "Perfect…I'm finally rid of those geeks for good." He smiled. "With Yugi gone, now I am once again the number one duelist!" He walked off, laughing at the success of his impromptu plan.

Back at the Thunder Plains, Tea had been walking for about almost an hour. After a quick breakfast at the agency, the person at the front desk instructed her to travel north into Macalania Woods for the quickest route out of the Thunder Plains.

"Don't worry Tea…" She said to herself. "You won't be struck by lightning with the towers in place. It's only just a few more miles…" She walked on as she then saw a mixture of red and orange light on the ground. "What's that on the ground?" She wondered as she rushed towards it. The light turned out to be a sphere-shaped object. Tea was intrigued by the object. It was similar to the sphere she had, but she didn't' know anything about it. "Wonder what it does…"

"None of you concern little girl…" a voice replied with a British accent.

Tea looked back to see a tall man walked by. He wore a blue and purple oufit, along with helmet. He held two six-shooters in his hand. "If you value your life, you'll hand over the sphere." He warned.

"This?" Tea showed him the sphere. "What would you want it for?" She still didn't know or saw what was so great about that sphere.

"Exactly, now hand it over, NOW!" His eyes narrowed.

"With _that_ attitude, why shout I?" Tea retorted, now annoyed. "He's just like Kaiba…" She thought. She then heard the clicking of guns. "On second thought…"

"Hey! Leave her alone, you meanie!" A voice shouted.

He sighed. "Not them…" He was told that the job was going to be a piece of cake, but the last thing he needed was _them_ to show up.

A girl jumped onto the scene. She was dressed in tiny green miniskirt, yellow bikini top, and white and blue boots. Save for a red scarf and headband, wielding two hand-blades (I don't know what they're called, sue me.) "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, Logos!"

"Quite frankly you're hardly my size, Little Girl." He sneered.

The girl looked at Tea as she went into a battle stance. "This would be the perfect, time to run."

"Good idea." Tea began to run as the girl and Logos began to tussle. However, she bumped into a man wearing an outfit similar to Logos's. He was shorter, but still taller than Tea, and barrel chested, and carried a sheild on his back. "And just where do you think you're going."

Tea was knocked down. "Anyone got the number for that truck…?" She said, dazed as the man took her bag. "Hey!"

"Let's see what you got in here?" He said as he dumped out the contents in her bag. Clothes, Food, and junk began to pour out until the Transphere fell out.

"What do we have here…"

Logos tossed a grenade at his adversary, which at the explosion, a dark mist surrounded her eyes, blinding her. "What is it, Ormi?" He asked as he dodged the girl's strikes.

"Some type of sphere!" Ormi takes a closer look.

Logos walked away from the battle, believing that the sphere was more important than the enemy.

"Hey!" She shouted at them. "Get back here!" She tried to run after them but ran in to a tower. "Ow…"

Logos approached his partner. "I see that, you pinhead. Do you have any idea what it does?"

Ormi took a closer inspection as Tea glared at them. "Hey! Give that back! That's mine!" She protested.

"Correction: that _was_ yours." Logos corrected. "Now it's the property of the boss!"

"The Boss?" Tea replied, dumbfounded.

Logos and Ormi ignored her as she continued to examine the sphere. "Look…it's got a button at the bottom" Ormi noted as he revealed a small blue button at the bottom. "Wonder what it does."

"How should I know, you moron?" Logos retorted.

"Should we check it out before telling the boss?"

Logos sighed. "I suppose…"

Ormi pressed the button as Tea ran after him. "Wait!"

Logos shot at Tea feet, keeping her at bay. "Like we said, this now belongs to the boss!" He said as they observed the blue light flashing. After the flash disappeared, Ormi and Logos were gone.

"Great…" Tea sighed as she watched her only way of getting home, her only chance of seeing her friends and family again, go right down the drain.

The girl manages to grab a container and pours it onto her eyes, removing the dark mist around her. She then noticed Tea's depressed expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm stuck in this world, that's what wrong." She says.

"You mean you're not from Spira?" She replied, shocked that she came from another world.

"Yep…But anyway, who were those guys?" Tea asked.

"They're a part of The LeBlanc Syndicate: A sphere hunter group who'll go to any lengths to get a sphere. Definitely bad news…" She briefed with Tea.

"Well that makes since…" She said about the sphere she managed to place in her back, without her noticing, just incase the girl was just like them. After her experience with Launch, she wasn't going to just trust anyone.

The girl decided to change the subject. "So…where yer from?"

"Domino." She said, despite the fact that she wouldn't believe her. "Anyways, my name's Tea. What's yours?"

"I'm Rikku!" She said proudly. "So…what bring's ya here?"

"It's a long story…" She said.

"Go ahead, I got all day!"

Ormi was just recovering as he rubbed his head. "Hey…where are we…." He looked around as it appeared to be a bathroom of some sort. "Nice place…"

"Hmm…perhaps your right, but I can't see it…maybe if you'd get off of me I could see for myself." Logos retorted.

Ormi and Logos were quick to get up as they then saw a towel-clad Kaiba with an expression if which was a mixture of shock and anger.

"Umm…" Logos and Ormi were as speechless as Kaiba.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"!!!"

"!!!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BATHROOM!?!?" Kaiba finally snapped.

"Umm….well…" Ormi tried to explain.

"You see…" Logos continued for him.

"OUT!" Kaiba ordered, pointing to the door.

"It was quite a misunderstanding, really…"

"OUT!"

"We're terribly sorry…"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Kaiba screamed as the towel fell down to his ankles…

Logos and Ormi were in shock. They were so shocked that Logos dropped his guns.

"…That's it…" Kaiba growled as he wrapped the towel back around him. Out of rage, he grabbed the guns which were lying on the floor. "I'M GIVING YOU TWO TO A COUNT OF TEN BEFORE I BLAST YOU TO OBLIVION!" He screamed as he began counting… "One….

The two Syndicate members attempted to make a run for it, but they, having foolishly decided to go at the same time, had trouble trying to fit through the door.

"…Two…TEN!" Kaiba, having decided that he couldn't wait to be rid of the two intruders, was about to shoot as he then noticed the Transphere. "Hold on." He said as he picked up the sphere. "Where did you get this from?"

"Umm…we got it from some girl." Ormi explained.

"A girl?" Kaiba responded. He already had a good idea who they got it from. "Tea…" He muttered.

"It fell out of her bag and we, being sphere hunters-"

Logos was cut-off by Kaiba. "Sphere Hunters? You wouldn't by any chance be associated with the Rare Hunters, would you?"

"Rare Hunters?" Logos and Ormi both responded at the same time.

"Okay, so you're not with them." Kaiba smirked.

"Back on subject, we took the sphere, and after we made a quick analysis, a bright flash came and we ended up here."

'So they've found the emergency home switch…' Kaiba thought. He assumed that he hid it well enough for Tea not to find it so she wouldn't be able to return home. But at least he felt better knowing for sure that she won't be getting home, as well as her friends…provided that they don't find the switch first.

That's the end of Chapter 3! You know the drill. Please Review!


	4. New Friendship!  Yugi and Co Prepares Fo...

Disclaimer: I do not own the Following: Yu-gi-oh, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, or Final Fantasy X/X-2

**Chapter 4:** New Friendship! Yugi and Co. Prepares For Trouble!

Yugi was just awakening as he looked around. His friends were laying flat on the ground as Transphere lay near him.

"Where are we'?" Yugi wondered as he stood up.

"I don' think we're in Domino anymore, Yuge!" Joey stood up as he checked on Serenity. "Sis, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Joey!" She assured as she brushed off her clothes.

Tristan finally got up. "This place looks a bit more'colorful than back home."

"Well now we know the Transphere works. Now let's go, you guys! We may not know where Tea is, but she's sure to be around here somewhere'"

"Hey Yugi, wait up!" Tristan followed, as well as the Wheeler Siblings. Suddenly, the ground appeared to be crumbling as the gang began to fall into what appeared to be a pitfall!

"Hey! Wat's dis hole doin' here!?" Joey snapped as Serenity held on to his arm.

"I'm scared, Joey'" She whimpered as a group of laughter is then heard from above.

"Who's there?" Tristan shouted.

"Show yourselves, cowards!" Yugi demanded.

"You fell into our trap, so prepare for trouble!" A woman, with long, flowing whip-like magenta hair, wearing a white mini-skirt, black thigh highs, black gloves, and an open white shirt over a black top with the letter "R" printed in red, said with a smile.

"And while you're at it, make it double!" An ear-lobe-length-indigo-haired man said with a bit of a British accent wearing a similar outfit as his companion, except that he was wearing white pants and black boots. He had a long sleeved shirt with the red "R" imprinted and black gloves.

Yugi and company watched on, both in shock and confusion, as they two continued their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation'" The woman began.

"To unite our peoples within our nation'" The man continued.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love'"

"To extend our reach to the stars above'"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasting off to the speed of light'" Jessie said with a pose.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!" James finished with a pose of his own. Suddenly, a small cat-like creature with a coin on his forehead jumped up.

"Meowth, Dat's right!" It chimed.

"What do you want?" Tristan snapped at Team Rocket.

"Simple, your Pika-" Jessie looked closely at their "capture," it was obvious that something was wrong with this picture.

James and Meowth went for a closer look as well.

"Hey'" Jessie said, "You're not the twerps!"

"DUH!" Joey retorted.

"Well'anyway, hand over any pokemon you have right now!" The only thing Jessie received were confused looks. "WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? HAND OVER YOUR POKEMON, NOW!"

"We don't have any pokemon!" Serenity explained.

"What _are_ pokemon, anyway?" Tristan asked.

"Dese people are nuts!" Meowth exclaimed.

"They're obviously two fries short of a happy meal!" James agreed.

"Well I don't care!" Jessie pouted. "They're not going anywhere until they give us what we- huh?" She noticed that their "prisoners" weren't in the pitfall anymore as Joey and Tristan were pulling Serenity and Yugi out. "Of all the nerve'" Jessie growled as she rushed in front of them. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"Do you have any idea how long it took us to dig that hole?" James scolded, standing next to her!

"Yous guys aren't goin' anywhere!" Meowth declared as the Millennium Puzzle then flashed as Yugi appeared to have grown taller, as well as his hair was more spiked and eyes were narrower. Yami has indeed taken over.

"Team Rocket!" He said to the trio. "I don't know what your sick game is, but it ends NOW!"

"Who do you think you are!?" Jessie snapped as she pulled out some type of cannon.

"Do you have any idea who you're messing with?" James pulled out the same type of cannon.

"Now it looks like we're going to teach yous guys a lesson!" Meowth snapped.

"I don't think so'" Yami replied, annoyed as he then extended his arm toward Team Rocked as a golden eye flashed on his forehead. "MIND CRUSH!" After the flash disappeared, Team Rocket was gone.

"What did you do?" Serenity asked Yami.

"I sent them to the Shadow Realm'" Yami explained. "I'll return them here after our search for Tea has finished."

In the Shadow Realm, Team Rocket looked on in horror'

"Where are we, Jessie!" James whined, "It's so dark in here!"

"I don't know, James'" Jessie responded, showing a bit of fear.

"Beats me' The only ding I remember was those people. Den I heard some guy with da glowing eye on his forehead screaming something about "Mind crush!"

"You mean the pharaoh?" A dark voice replied as figure walked towards them.

"Who'who are you?" Jessie asked, now completely scared.

"What do you want?" James asked as he and Meowth hid behind her.

Out from the shadows was a man with a purple cape wrapped around him. He had long, bleached blonde-haired with the part of it spiked up. "I'm Marik, but you can call me your worst nightmare! Welcome to the Shadow Realm, where you'll spend all eternity!" **[1]**

Team Rocket were shaking in their boots (Or in Meowth's case, paws) as Yami Marik released a loud evil laughter. Suddenly, lost souls made their way toward them. "'Why couldn't Team Rocket have just blasted of again!?" They cried in unison, afraid of what their fate has led them.

Meanwhile, in a tent, Tea was getting more acquainted with her new friend, Rikku. Rikku was camping out in the Thunder Plains in an attempt to get over her fears of lightning. When they were little, Rikku's brother was practicing a thunder magic attack in the water which went wrong and struck her instead. It took a while, but Tea felt she could trust her as she then gave her the sphere she found. It turned out that the sphere's in Spira were much like Videos and DVDs back in Domino. Rikku was also a Sphere Hunter, like the Leblanc Syndicate who jumped her. She and her group would go around Spira looking for valuable spheres which documented Spira's history. It was more of a trade between them: Rikku taught Tea about the world of Spira, Tea taught Rikku about Duel Monsters.

"'There are number of starts which shows how powerful cards are!" Tea explained. "For monsters with one to four stars, you can summon normally. But for monsters with five or more stars, you'll have to make a tribute summon."  
  
"Tribute Summon?" Rikku's eyes went wide. "You mean to play more powerful monster cards I have to sacrifice the ones I already have?"

Tea nodded. "If the monster has five or six stars, you have to sacrifice one monster. But if the monster has seven or more stars, then you'll have to sacrifice two monsters. And there are some monsters that can be fused together into a more powerful monster by using a magic card called Polymerization. There are even some monsters that are so powerful that not only do you have to sacrifice a number of monsters, but the type and number of monsters requirements vary with the monster as well as a ritual magic card to summon monsters such as Black Luster Soldier and Magician of Black Chaos."

"Whoa'" Rikku is taken back from this. "Duel Monster's more complicated then I thought."

"It's easy once you get used to it." Tea smiled.

"If you say so'" Rikku looked down, as she then looked at Tea. "Are you any good?"

"I'm okay. But nowhere in any league with my friends, Yugi and Joey'" She then went silent. As much as she didn't want to admit it, after what happened between her and Yugi, she really missed them. The fact that, thanks to the Syndicate stealing the Transphere, she was stuck here only made her sad.

"Oh? How good are they?" Rikku asked.

"Well'Joey's awesome. He was the runner up at a tournament called 'Duelist Kingdom,' and came 4th at the Battle City tournament." Tea explained, remembering at Battle City that he lost to both Marik, the runner up, and Kaiba, who surprisingly came in third place since it was HIS tournament. The thing that shocked Tea the most is how good he's gotten in a short period of time. One day, he couldn't even beat her, and a few weeks he gets 2nd Place at Duelist Kingdom. "As for Yugi'" She blushed. "They don't call him the 'King of Games' for nothing." She saw Rikku's confused expression. "It's a title Yugi got after he won at Duelist Kingdom."

"Ohh'" Rikku nodded. "Hey! Why don't you come with me?" She suggested.

"Come with you?"

"Yeah! We got an airship, the Celsius! And guess what? You could help us find spheres!" Rikku placed an arm around Tea. "I can see it now: 'Tea Gardener: Sphere Hunter extrodinaire!'"

Tea was unsure about this decision. Other than the Transphere Kaiba gave her, she knew nothing about spheres let alone hunting for them. And Rikku was the only one she knew. Besides, she has nowhere else to go. Tea had no other option. "Sounds like fun!" She replied as a red huge aircraft suddenly flew their way.

"Well'that's us! Better get everything ready!" Rikku chirped as she and Tea went to take down the tent and gather their stuff.

Back at Domino, Logos and Ormi managed to make a deal with Kaiba. He would work hard to get them back home, but they would have to work their way to actually do so. So Logos and Ormi both became another one of Kaiba's servants. Despite their jobs, they still wore their Syndicate duds, much to Kaiba's dismay. Right now, they were possibly doing one of the most difficult tasks: Babysitting. Namely, Kaiba's little brother, Mokuba.

"Hey Logos," Ormi asked riding shotgun in a black limo. "Why are we doing this again?"

Logos, driving, sighed in annoyance. "Ormi, you pinhead, Mr. Kaiba has made it clear to us if we wanted to get back to Spira, we would have to work for it. That means babysitting a mere child."

"I heard this kid's the only family he has left." Ormi explained, "I've done some research on our new boss earlier."  
  
Logos's eyes went wide. "_You_ actually have done some research for once?" He always thought that Ormi wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.

"Yeah, I got bored. I also found out that they both went to an orphanage when both their parents died."

"Hmm'" Logos thought as if he was coming up with a plan. "Ormi'I think that our services to Mr. Kaiba will no longer be required."

Ormi looked to his companion in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that we'll be getting back to Spira soon. _Very_ soon..." Logos said with an evil grin as they pulled up to Domino Elementary. "Ormi, stand outside until the brat comes out!"

Ormi nodded as he got out from the limo and stood near the back door. As the kids piled out of the school, they gave him odd looks, because of his outfit, but he ignored them. Suddenly, a boy with long black untamed hair approached him.

"Wow'Big Brother must've come around and allowed Casual Fridays'" He commented.

"Let me guess' Mokuba I presume?" Ormi asked.

He nodded as Ormi then opened the door. "You must be the new guys!" Mokuba stated as he stepped into the backseat of the limo. Ormi then stepped back into his seat as they then drove off.

Mokuba seemed to be very peaceful as he played his Game Boy Advance. He wondered what did his brother thought about Ormi's outfit. He felt as if something weird was going on. His suspicions came true as they then made a turn which was as if they weren't going to the Kaiba Mansion.

"Umm'excuse me, but do you know where you're going?" He asked, tapping on the window between him and the driver. "This isn't the way back to the mansion!"

The window slide down to reveal Logos and Ormi sitting at the front. "Who said we're going to take you home, Little Boy?" Logos replied with a grin.

"Who are you guys?" Mokuba glared at them. "I order you stop this limo at once!"

"We're not taking orders from a little brat!" Ormi stated.

"Just wait until I tell my brother about this! You'll be sorry!" Mokuba stated as his eyes narrowed.

"I'm afraid you won't be doing any talking where you're going." Logo informed.

"What are you guys trying to prove?" Mokuba demanded.

"Simple. You're our ticket out of this wretched universe!" Logos explained.

"Universe? You won't get away with this!" Mokuba shouted as he tried to open the door. He couldn't' care if he would get injured for jumping out of a moving vehicle, as he would've at least been safe from them.

"That won't work Kid it's under a child-protection lock." Ormi laughed. "It appears that we've already have gotten away with it." Logos sighed at Ormi's comment as he continued to drive.

It has been a couple of hours as Yugi and co. searched for Tea. They couldn't find any trace of her, unfortunately so they decided to stay at a place known as a "Pokemon Center."

"We won't find Tea here, Yug'" Tristan declared.

"Yea...We've searched for hours." Joey added.

"We can't give up'" Yugi stated, as his friends looked as if finding Tea was all but hopeless and was about to give up.

Suddenly the door opened as Ash ran in with a beaten-up Pikachu in his arms, followed by Brock, May, and Max.

"Nurse Joy, you gotta help my Pikachu!" He said. Before she could respond, however, Brock jumped in front as he then held her hands towards him.

"Oh, my love' I've found you!" He said, much to Joy's shock as she blushed. "At last I have found you! Your crimson red hair, your beautiful eyes! Allow me to have the honor of-"

But before Brock could finish, annoyed Max pulled him away, much to the reaction of the very disturbed Yugi and company.

"Dat'was weird'" Joey commented.

"Ya, think!?" Tristan responded to his friend's comment.

Recovering from her embarrassment, the red-haired nurse smiled as she took Pikachu and took it into the emergency room. (A/N I don't remember for sure where they take injured pokemon for recovery.)

As Brock was being dragged away, he noticed Serenity as he then gave out a delightful cry of love and rushed towards her. "Oh, it's you! My true love, I have finally found you!"

"Umm'" Serenity gave him a confused and surprised look, not expecting this, as Brock continued.

"Oh, my beautiful angel, take me to heaven! Pleas give me the honor to serenade you with a song!"

"Uhh'"

Before Serenity could respond, Brock began to sing. "¢ÜLa-la-la-la la, you are my paradise, you'll live On! O-lay O-la-¢Ü **[2]**

He was then jumped by annoyed and angry Joey, more of the latter than the former. "BACK OFF FROM MY SISTA, YA FREAK!"

Tristan joined in on the beating of Brock as well, equally, if not, as angry as Joey. If there was anyone who was going to win Serenity's affections, it was going to be him. He already had enough problems with Duke trying to hit on her, or in Joey's case, both of them, without having Brock joining in on the "Serenity Love Train."

"Tristan, Joey, stop it!" Serenity scolded as they then reluctantly moved away from Brock. She was happy that Brock stopped "worshiping" her, but it could've been done in a more civilized manner instead of the barbaric approach Joey often took.

"Yeah! How dare you do that to our friend!?" May responded as she then checked up on Brock. "Are you okay?"

"I've'felt'better'" Brock said, a bit weakly. After years of flirting with women, he never thought that he would be beaten down by two guys.

"So'" Ash asked, trying to change the subject, "You guys are waiting on your pokemon too!"

"Pokemon?" Joey asked, confused. "We've ran into a bunch'a weirdos earlier talking about the same thing."

Tristan added, "They had this motto, something about Protecting the world from devastation and uniting their people within-"

"Team Rocket!" Ash's group said in unison. "They tried to take your pokemon, too?" Ash asked.

"We don't have pokemon, but as for them, they won't be bothering us for a long time." Yugi explained as suddenly, another flash from the Millennium puzzle was emitted. Yami has returned. "I've sent them away'"

"Away?" Ash responded. He shouldn't be surprised, as he, or Pikachu rather, was the one that always sent them "blasting off," but from the way Yami explained, it was as if it wasn't hard. "To'where'" Ash was almost too scared to ask'

"Please'.please'let us out'" James whined as the spirits were approaching him and his comrades. They have tried their best to escape the Shadow Realm, but to no avail'

"We promise we'll be good, I swear!" Meowth pleaded.

"ENOUGH!" Yami Marik snapped, almost getting a migraine. "When will you fools realize that YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE SHADOW REALM!? If I have to suffer eternity here, I'm going to make sure that your stay here is a living hell as well!"

"We're not going to let you push us around!" Jessie, equally as afraid as James and Meowth, threw out her pokeball. "Go Seviper!"

"Who do you think you are, you creep!?" James threw out his pokeball as well. "Go Cacnea!"

A Seviper and a Cacnea popped out from their pokeballs as the Cacnea then turned around and went to hug James, much to his dismay'

"Not me you numbskull, him'" James tossed Cacnea back towards Yami Marik, but much to Team Rocket's dismay, Marik's deadly glare freaked the pokemon back into their pokeballs.

"Pathetic'" Yami Marik rolled his eyes in disapproval as Team Rocket were frozen into their own fear.

It was night time as Tea sat on top of a bed in the cabin on the airship, settling into her new surrounding as she was writing into her diary:

July 6, 2003

Sometimes I wondered what would've happened if I would've just stayed in Domino, and just see things out the way they were. Should I have stayed and try to talk to them about how things were going between us, or was it the right decision to leave. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Bakura, I really miss you guys. Even you, Serenity, despite you tried to take everything from me. Maybe I'm over reacting, maybe I'm just hallucinating. All she ever wanted was to have friends, but after seeing them happy without me. It just hurt so much. What does it matter, now? I'm now stuck here in Spira, thanks to those two guys who took the Transphere away from me. I'll never get home, now.

At least I have some new friends here in Spira. They almost remind me of my old friends:

¡¤ Rikku: A really good friend to have. The first friend I made since coming to Spira. Every time I feel down, she always managed to cheer me up, always looking at the bright side. She was an Al-Bhed, and from what she told me she, like her people, are experts at machines and, what they call, machina. I don't know what the hell so different about them, they all look the same to me. She also told me that you could tell if a person was Al-Bhed as they usually have blonde hair and swirls in their eyes-don't ask. While we were hanging out at the Thunder Plains, I taught her a bit about duel monsters and not only did she caught on quickly, but she managed to beat me twice in a duel. Could the student have surpassed the master? I doubt it, but then again, Yugi's grandpa couldn't be Kaiba, but Yugi beat him twice(The duel at Duelist Kingdom doesn't count as Kaiba cheated).

¡¤ Paine: I don't know much about her. She isn't exactly the talkative type. Rikku told me that she joined with The Gullwings not too long ago. She reminds me of Kaiba. I never seen either of them smile, unless it was out of anyone's misery. But at least she isn't a heartless creep like Kaiba. All she needs is some friendship and she'll start to loosen up. What am I saying, what good did my friendship speeches ever do?

¡¤ Brother:Rikku's brother, the Leader of the Gullwings. Who would name their son, "Brother?" It's probably an Al-Bhed thing, I guess. But then again, at least it wasn't that pervert, Krump, who wanted to take my body. Just imagining him in my body just makes my skin crawl. Back on subject, Brother is a nice guy, but over reacts too much. When I told him where I came from, he was freaked out. Like his sister, when I showed her my Duel Monsters cards, he became very fascinated. When he walked in on me practicing my dancing'let's just say that he now winks at me every time he sees me.

¡¤ Buddy: He's an Al-Bhed, like the siblings. He seems nice. He's they guy who always finds the spheres they're after. What's the big deal? People would be willing to pay big money for spheres about Spira's history. Perhaps I should help out, as well. After all, I will have to pull my own weight around eventually.

¡¤ Shinra: Take a wild guess what nationality he is. He's a smart guy who created something called a Garment Grid, something which they place some dresspheres on to change into different outfits, like a Black Mage or, get this, a Songstress. If it's anything like a popstar, they must have some fashion sense. The strange thing about him: He's just a kid. But then again, considering Seto Kaiba became the CEO of a huge company at hi sage that shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Currently, he's working on some project, but he won't say a thing to me.

¡¤ Yuna: Another person who became my friend. No she's not an Al-Bhed'well not fully. She told me only her mom's an Al-Bhed. Yuna told me that she used to be a High Summoner. Don't ask me, the only "Summoning" I know of is summoning monsters on the field in a duel. Despite the extra length in her untamed hair, and her right eye color's green and her left eye color's blue, we kinda looked alike. She told me the reason why she became a Sphere Hunter was because of a sphere she saw of some guy she knew. I could relate to that. If Yugi was in that guy's position, and then there was a sign that he could be alive, I would've done the same thing she did.

I guess it doesn't seem as bad as I thought. It could be worse. I could be stuck in West City with that luntic. The bright side is that I got a capsule with nearly unlimited amount of space, a pokeball with some bee which they called it "a beedrill," and a clean slate. Besides, now I won't have to go to school and worry about exams, or being abducted by some crazed sicko.

With a soft sigh, Tea closed her diary as she placed it back into her bag. She then slipped into the bed as she then closed her eyes. However, she couldn't help thinking about Yugi, and the rest of her friends at home in Domino. She knew that she wouldn't be going home, anytime soon. She hoped that her friends were at least alright.

Meanwhile, in the Pokemon Center, everyone decided that it would be best to get some sleep for the night. Fortunately trainers were allowed to rest in the Pokemon center for the night. Everyone but Yugi was asleep as he, lying on the bottom bunk bed, was staring up at the bottom of the top bunk bed. There was only one thing on his mind'

The Millennium Puzzle then flashed as an image of Yami stood before him. "Yugi, what's troubling you?" He asked.

"I just can't stop thinking about Tea." He admitted.

"I understand your worry'"

"I mean, she could be anywhere, in any world."

"She wasn't in this one, Yugi!" Yami stated. Ash and his friends have told them earlier that they saw Tea, and then with a press of the Transphere, she was gone. "That's one world down, so she could be in another one."

"I know'but what if we don't find her? And what if we never go back home?" Yugi sighed. "It's all my fault'if only I could've noticed it sooner'we wouldn't even in this mess in the first place'" A tear began to form in his eyes.

"Yugi, don't think about that. We'll find her. I promise'" Yami assured.

"I hope so'"

Yami sighed as he entered back into the puzzle, leaving Yugi to wonder if he'll ever see Tea again'

Back at the Kaiba Estate, Kaiba was just getting home from work as he walked to Mokuba's room. He was expecting Mokuba to be home from school already, doing his homework, but not a trace of him was found. However, he found a pink sphere on his bed. "What the hell is this?" Kaiba examined the sphere as he saw a button. "It wouldn't hurt to check it out'' He said as he pressed the button'

The setting was at a harbor as Logos appeared on the screen with a smile, "Good evening, Mr. Kaiba." He said. "Now is the time to talk business'"

"The Brat's all tied up and gagged." Ormi said as he approached Logos then noticed that he was recording.

Logos continued, "Let's talk about, let's say, finding away back to Spira. I suggest that you start devising away to send us home, immediately. But now I know what you're thinking right now, 'Why should I do what the Syndicate demands?'" Logos and Ormi moved out of the way to show Mokuba, gagged and tied to an anchor.

Ormi grinned, "It looks like you have a choice. What will it be? Will show up at the harbor and you find us away home and save your brother. Or will you refuse our demands, and allow your brother to fall to his watery grave. His fate is in your hands'" The two Syndicate members let out a sinister laugh as Mokuba tried to struggle out, perhaps to communicate with his brother.

Kaiba gritted his teeth as the footage ended. He was getting sick of people kidnapping his brother, just to blackmail Kaiba. He figured that at least that they would try something original instead of this. Kaiba sighed as he took out a phone. "Roland! It's me. Bring a limo along with the supplies used to create the Transphere. Fast!" He then placed the phone back into his pocket as he said silently to himself'

"I'm coming, Mokuba'"

A few notes:

**[1]** I don't exactly know how the Shadow Realm works, so I'm shooting in the dark a bit. Plus thought it'd be a cool idea for someone like Yami Marik to have a Satan-ish like role to give Team Rocket a scare.

**[2]** I didn't make it up, I got the lyric, well some of them, from an episode of Pokemon Master Quest. I can't remember the name of it, or the rest of the song for that matter, but I remember Brock singing to keep the crowd busy while the others looked for the star's missing Pokemon.

Next chapter, Tea will interact with the Gullwings and might be a bit more. Also, Kaiba goes to Mokuba's rescue and'well'let's just say that there's a possible chance that Kaiba will be in tears'no, I'm not killing off Mokuba. Fangirls would hunt me down for blood.


	5. Tea Gardner: Sphere Hunter

Sorry for the long LONG delay, but I have a lot of stuff happening lately. Anyway, here's a key which will appear in all of my future stories/chapters, just so that you won't get confused.

= Flashbacks/Dreams

/(insert text here) / = Hikari talk to Yami

(insert text here)=Yami to Hikari

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy X-2, Pokemon, or Dragonball Z

**Chapter 5:** Tea Gardner: Sphere Hunter.

It was a cold and stormy night as the sounds of thunder can be heard. Tea fell down on her knees with tears in her eyes as images of her friends: Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura were moving away from her, as well as a sixth one, a female. She then turned around with a sly grin as she then waved, not in a friendly manner, but in a mocked, unsympathetic manner.

"But…why…Serenity?" Tea shrieked, as tears poured from her eyes.

"It's simple." She responded. "There's only room for one female in the group, and from their actions..." Her grin became wider. "They want _me_, not you!"

Tea was speechless. How could her friends, after all they've been through, out of the blue abandon her for someone who wasn't even at their age level? Sure Serenity was only younger by at least two years, but it was as if they've known her for years. She then heard uninvited sounds around her. Those of which were filled with laughter, pity, and mock.

"Stop…please…" She begged. "Why are you doing this…WAIT!"

Tea shot up on the bead as an Alert Signal blasted throughout the cabin. "Ehlusehk tydy! Gullwings, du ouin cdydeuhc! (Incoming data! Gullwings, to your stations!)" A voice on the audio system shouted as Tea was trying to get up from the bed.

"Mom…I'm up…" She mumbled as she walked downstairs, as a Hypello from the bar nearby greeted her.

"Good morning, Tea!" He said.

"Good morning." She replied, then asked. "Is it always like this?"

"I'm afraid Sho..." He explained. The Gullwings always had to be up bright and early if they were going to be the first ones to find any new spheres that might turn up. Especially from their biggest rival: The LeBlanc Syndicate. Every encounter with them always led up to the fight, with the Gullwings usually winning. Sometimes, their luck has run out on them a few times as they usually ended up losing the spheres to (read: having them stolen by) the Syndicate. Hopefully, with Logos and Ormi gone, retrieving the spheres won't be as much trouble as usual.

"So they're all at the bridge?" She asked.

"Yesh Mam!" He replied, then looked at her quizically. "Are yoo shoore yoo want to go oot looking like that?"

Tea looked down at her "Hello Kitty" pajamas as she then blushed. "Right…thanks…"

Back in Domino, a limousine was pulling up to Domino Harbor as it then came to a complete stop.

"Mr. Kaiba, we're here!" The driver said as the door to the backseat opened…

"Keep the engine running, this won't take long…" Kaiba stepped out from the limo, with the briefcase in hand. He was debating with himself if he should actually go through with Logos and Ormi's demands. On one hand, it wasn't exactly something Kaiba has never handled before. If Kaiba were to receive a dime…make that a nickel for every time someone kidnapped Mokuba for ransom, he'd be twice as rich as he was now. On the other hand, he doesn't exactly know what the Two Syndicate Members were actually capable of. Besides, if he could send those two home, he wouldn't have to worry about either of them coming back. Plus, it may give him a chance to see if the final version of the Transphere worked. With it's success, Kaiba could bring Duel Monster tournaments not only in this Dimension, but in others as well, such as the world where the two kidnappers were from.

"Let's get this over with…" Kaiba opened the door to the warehouse as he stepped in. He searched for any signs of his little brother. "Mokuba?" He called out, but there was no answer. "MOKUBA!?" He shouted, again no answer. Worry began to show on the young CEO's face.

"There's no need to worry about the brat!" Logos voice was heard from behind as Kaiba turned around and shot him his trademark death glare.

"Where's my brother?" He threatened. Not in any mood for games.

"He's fine, but depending on what you do, he won't be for long…" Ormi reminded. "Remember, his fate is in your hands."

"Did you bring everything?" Logos asked a seething Kaiba.

He opened the silver briefcase, revealing a Transphere, but not like the ones he gave Tea and Yugi. It was slightly bigger than the others, but it had a few features. It contained little sensors of some sort on the area where your hands would be placed as it also had a sapphire placed in the middle.

"Where's Mokuba!" Kaiba demanded. His patience, or what was left of it, was wearing thin.

Ormi pressed a button on a remote which was in his hand as chains appeared to be going up. Kaiba looked up and indeed saw Mokuba being lowered. The young boy's eyes opened wide at the sight of his big brother!

"Seto!" He cried out. "Help me!"

"Hang on, Mokuba!" Kaiba was about to go get him down, but was stopped by the bullets shot at his feet.

"Not so fast…" Logos stated. "Remember our deal?"

"Don't do it, Seto!" Mokuba shouted. Apparently he didn't trust the members of the LeBlanc Syndicate.

"Quiet, Brat!" Ormi was about to hit Mokuba, but Kaiba took out a card from his trench coat, namely the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, as he threw it like a dart in an attempt to block the attack.

However, Logos saw this as he then took the opportunity to fire a shot at the card, knocking it back to his feet and leaving a huge bullet hole in the middle. Much to Seto's distraught…

"No…" Kaiba dropped down to his knees as he saw the now-damaged rare Duel Monsters card. "My Blue Eyes…" Tears began to form in his eyes…

"How sad…" Logos sighed in pity at the fallen Seto Kaiba.

"Now you guys have really done it…" Mokuba glared, as he said it with both angry and annoyance.

"I thought we told you to be quiet, Brat!" Logos responded as Ormi looked dumbfounded.

"Done what?" He asked.

"My sweet Blue Eyes…" Kaiba held the now-ruined card in his hands as the hole clearly went through the face of the dragon. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, next to Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, was not only his most powerful monster in his deck, but was also his most favorite card. There were only 4 Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world and, under the influence of his darker side, he tore up one that belonged to Yugi's grandfather. Now, with this event, there were only 2 left. 2 Blue Eyes which he fortunately owned. However, he would never be able to form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon ever again.

"So where's the Sphere coming from, Buddy?" Rikku asked as a Bleached Blonde, Dark-tanned man looked on through a screen.

"Still analyzing…" He said as he looked at the map…it appeared to be in a dark, but beautiful forest according to the map. "It's located in Thunder Plains," He stated.

"Does LeBlanc know about yet?" A young woman with brown slightly-messy hair whose length reached her bottom neck, asked. Despite that she felt that she already knew the answer of her question.

"What do you think, Yuna?" a Woman who appeared to be around the same age as the first but lightly taller and with short white hair, rolled her eyes. "LeBlanc and her goons would do anything to get spheres."

"Paine's right." Rikku nodded. "Remember what they did to the Celsius? We were swamped with repairs for weeks! Are you sure you think she's up to this?"

"With the device I've created, she'll be fine." A young boy in a bodysuit which even covered his face assured as he walked over with something which resembled a duel-disk of some time. "If she's good at this Duel Monsters game, she'll be fine."

"Shinra, are you sure?" Paine asked, skeptical that this would actually work. "Have you even tested it out?"

"The Testing was a bit brief, but it should work."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"Hey, I'm just a kid." Shinra shrugged as Paine sighed. That was his excuse for everything that would go wrong with one of his inventions. But then again, he did invent the Garment Grid.

"The most important thing is if our guest can cut it." Paine reminded As the sliding door from behind opened as Tea ran out, hopping on her right foot as she tried to zip up her left boot before tripping on the stairs which, consequently, caused her to tumble all the way down.

"Speaking of whom…" Pain sighed as Tea recovered up.

"Eheheh…hiya!" She responds nervously.

"Good news!" Rikku chirped. "You're going on your first mission!"

"First mission?" Tea responded, confused. "Of what?"

"Why Sphere Hunting, silly!" Rikku explained. "We found one in Thunder Plains, an easy one. So you're going to retrieve it?"

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" She asked, concerned. Despite what Rikku told her, she still was unsure about this Sphere Hunting gig. Let alone, it was at the same place.

"There's no need to worry." Said a voice, with a bit of a German accent. "You're not the only one's going." They looked back towards the source of the voice as Rikku sighed.

"Oh great…here comes Johnny Sunshine…" She rolled her eyes as a man with a bleached blonde Mohawk approached them. He was wearing nothing but jean overalls and boots.

"Tea isn't the only one who'll retrieve the sphere. Rikku's going to!" He explained

"Fryd!? (What!?)" Rikku responded, shocked.

"Sounds like a good idea, Brother." Buddy added.

"Rikku does have the most experience out of the three of us…" Paine reminded, comparing Rikku to herself and Yuna.

"Oh come on!" Rikku complained. It appeared that even though she spent the week down in the plains, she was still afraid of lightning.

"Don't worry Rikku, it's not like you'll get struck by lightning, remember."

"It could happen…" She muttered.

"Rikku, as your leader I order you to accompany Tea in retrieving the sphere!" Brother stated.

"Aww… Ru vyen… (Aww…No fair…)" Rikku whined as she held her head down, defeated.

"Meva'c hud vyen, taym fodr ed! (Life's not fair, deal with it!)" Brother crossed his arms, "Aht ut teclicceuh!" (End of discussion!)

"Oh poopie…" She pouted as Tea placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be that bad, right?" She said, trying to cheer her up.

"Easy for you to say!" Rikku pouted, "You never got struck by lightning before…"

"Try being mind controlled by some madman obsessed with ruling the world!" Tea replied at Rikku's statement as Shinra then approached her with the device. "What's this, some type of duel disk?"

"Precisely…." He replied. "This device should make any monster card you play come to life. So if you should run into any fiends, you can summon a monster to dispose of them.

"Cool." She looked at the duel disk as she then placed it on her arm. Hopefully it would make sphere hunting much better. "All I need is to grab my deck and I'll be ready." Tea runs off back to the cabin area as Paine has a skeptical look on her face.

"You're sure she can cut it as a sphere hunter?" She asked Yuna.

"Give her a chance. I mean, what can she do wrong?"

"Well guys, looks like Tea isn't in this world." Yugi said as he and the gang stood outside the Pokemon Center.

"So she's in a different world, Yuge!" Joey shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"This coming from the same guy who was at Mai's bedside while she's was in the Shadow Realm?" Tristan reminded.

"Hey, at least she didn't leave us on purpose. Marik trapped her mind in, remember?"

"Guys, stop fighting." Serenity stepped between them, having a feeling that they would get into a fight. "We need to find Tea." She turned to Yugi. "Yugi, maybe we need to go to another dimension to find her."

Yugi nodded, "Agree, but first, there's one thing we need to do…" The Millennium puzzle flashed as Yami stood in his place. "Now it's time to release them from the Shadow Realm…"

"Oh yeah, Yuge! You sent dose Team Rocket freaks to the Shadow Realm."

Yami nodded as an eye then appeared on his forehead. After the eye disappeared, Yami then changed back to Yugi.

"Okay, let's go!" Yugi took out the Transphere as everyone grabbed on. After the blue flash, everyone was gone.

Ash and co were walking towards Petalburg Gym where Ash was looking to win his fifth badge. Suddenly…

"IT'S THE TWERPS!" Team Rocket screamed as they ran towards Ash and co, placing them in a big hug.

"Oh, we're so glad to see you!" Jessie says with tears in her eyes. "We're so glad to see your beautiful twerpy faces!"

"We're sorry for everything we've done to you! Please don't let that mean Pharaoh send us back to the Shadow Realm!" James begged. "Marik is too mean!"

"Dat guy's crazy!" Meowth whined. "He's worse than da boss!"

"Uhh…" Ash has nothing to say as he looked to his friends…

"That was…random!" Brock said as James hugged him closely, almost to tears.

At the Thunder Plains…Rikku was a bit freaked out by the lightning…

"Hof E myo sa tufh du cmaab… (Now I lay me down to sleep…)" She mewed, scared that the lightning would hit her.

"Jeez Rikku, you camped out here for a week for cripes sake, and you're _still_ afraid of lightning!?" Tea said, skeptical about Rikku's phobia.

"Why don't you try being shocked to death!" She challenged. "Hmph!" She looked towards the opposite directions.

Tea gets an idea, as she crept close to Rikku. Then…

"RIKKUWATCHOUTFORTHATLIGHTNING!" She shouted as Rikku shrieked as she dived to the ground. When she saw Tea giggling afterwards, she mumbled Al Bhed curses under her breath.

"Oh come on! We need to find that sphere, right?"

"Right…" Rikku got up from the ground as she brushed herself off. She then looked towards Tea, deciding which would be the perfect way to get back at her.

"This sphere could be around anywhere, right?" Tea asked.

"If LeBlanc didn't beat us to it, first…" Rikku responded as a smile then formed on her face. She figured out the best way to get back at her for the lightning false alarm. "Tea…you said that Krump dueled you for your body, right?"

"Don't remind me…" Tea said in disgust, wanting to forget about the whole Virtual World experience, let alone that part. She figured it was obvious why Krump wanted her body in her first place…

"Well…let's just say that in these parts, there are a few guys who…nahh…"

"Guys who what?" Tea asked, wanting to know what she was going say, but Rikku kept her mouth shut. "Tell me!"

"Okay…" She looked at Tea straight in the eye. "How old are you?"

"Umm...sixteen." She said.

"Sixteen, huh? So I guess you're underage…"

"Underage? What do you mean?" Tea's expression on her face said it all: She was now very concerned about this place, if she wasn't before…

"Well…some guys in the Thunder Plains…they…well…let's just say that you wouldn't be innocent anymore."

"You mean that there's people who…"

"I'm afraid so… But don't worry, my friend. I'm sure that they won't lay a hand on you with me around." She assured, then grinned evilly. "Especially the guy who's about to look up your skirt."

Tea screamed as she jumped forward, looking back to see nothing. She then heard Rikku giggling.

"Gotcha!" She declared.

"You…" Tea narrowed her eyes as she then placed her into a headlock. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Well you did it to me, first!" Rikku gagged as she managed to shove the brunette off of her.

Tea sighed, "Let's just find this sphere, okay? Then we can argue…"

"Right-o!" Rikku nodded with a smile as she decided to run off ahead.

"Hey, wait up!" Tea followed, not wanting to be left behind. After it has been for about ten minutes, they managed to come across a cave.

"Hmm…" Rikku rubbed her chin, "Never been around here before?"

"What do you think it is?" Tea asked.

"Not sure, but I bet we might find what we're looking for?" Rikku walked inside of the cave, "Come on!"

"Are you sure about this?" Tea asked.

"Just come on! Besides, you can defend yourself remember?"

Tea sighed as she followed. "Right…provided that I draw the right card…"

"What do you mean when you say 'draw the right card?'" Rikku asked.

"What if I run into a strong fiend and I draw a very weak monster like Petite Angel?"

"Tea Tea Tea… you worry too much." Rikku stopped as she then noticed a shine of an orange color…

"What is it?" Tea asked.

"Sister, we found ourselves a sphere!" Rikku declared. "And the best part of all, we didn't have to run into-"

"Well well well…" A female voice from behind said. Rikku turned back as her eyes then narrowed…

"Her…" She groaned at the blonde woman who was wearing a pink outfit which was very revealing at the chest, leaving a red heart tattooed on her chest. Standing on each side were two women dressed in mahogany bodysuits, save for the headgear which contained a veil which covered their faces.

"What happened to your usual sidekicks, LeBlanc?" Rikku mused, even though she kind of knew where they may be already.

"Since I couldn't find those two boneheads, I decided it was time to find a few replacements for the time being, Loves!" She said, then noticed Tea. "Speaking of new recruits… you could've done a bit better. Just look at her clothes!" LeBlanc gave a chuckle. "Can you Dullwings get even more pathetic?"

To say that Tea was insulted would be an understatement. She may have been call a lot of things such as "Goody-Goody," "Weakling," or even "Friendship Freak," but no-one has ever dared to insult her outfit. Everyone knew how much pride Tea took when it came to her fashion sense. Even Kaiba avoid making a comment about how she was dressed. She was about to give the Syndicate Leader a piece of her mind, or fist rather, until Rikku stopped her.

"Tea, I wouldn't want to do that if I were you…" She warned. "Yes, she's a snob. But she knows a bit of magic too!"

"Yes Tia, you better listen to your friend. I wouldn't want your first mission to be your last."

" It's _Tea_! Te**a**!" Tea pronounced her name for LeBlanc. "Hope you got it through that thick head of yours!"

"Whatever…I have better things to do than to play with a bunch of Amateurs, let alone Amateurs who are just little girls."

Tea scoffed at that remark, "Well at least I'm not some grandmother!" She retorted.

LeBlance began to twich. "Nobody… has dared to call me…old…" She seethed as she then snapped. "That's it, Dullwings! I'm going to teach you a lesson in manners!" She then looked to her Fem-Goons, "GET THEM!"

"Yes Boss!" They nodded as they began to creep closer!

"Let's see if this works…" Tea thought to herself as she then drew a card from her deck. To her luck, it was a Trap Hole Trap Card. "This'll keep you in check." She then placed it on the board of her duel disk. "Activate Trap Hole!" Suddenly, a hole then formed under the goons, which caused them to be eliminated. Much to LeBlanc's shock.

"How did you-It can't be-" She growled, "That's it, Loves! Now I'm mad!" With a movement with her hands, a strong force of wind blasted at Rikku and Tea, knocking them back into the stone wall of the cave…hard…

"She…can do that?" Tea asked as she recovered, rubbing the pain which was in her lower back.

"She can do a lot of things…" Rikku stated, "Just be glad that Logos and Ormi aren't with her…"

"You mean she could do worse?" Tea asked as Rikku nodded. "Looks like I'm gonna have to use another card…" Tea drew another card from her deck, as a smile came into place. "This reminds me of Yugi." She says as she then placed it on the board. "I summon Dark Magician Girl!" In an instant, the Dark Magician Girl appeared on the board, as LeBlanc looked on in shock.

"What's this, some type of fiend!?" She asks, startled.

"Something like that…" Rikku smiled as she looked at Tea, wanting her to give LeBlanc the final blow.

"Dark Magician Girl, hit her with Dark Burning Attack!" Tea ordered as then the Dark Magician Girl used her wand to fire a burst of magical energy towards an intimidated LeBlanc. After the dust settled, LeBlanc was down, weakened and trying to get back up… If her clothes wasn't revealing before, thanks to the blast they were now…

"I-I won't forget this! I won't go so easy on you next time…" She snapped as she ran off.

"Hmph…sore loser." Tea scoffed as the Dark Magician Girl disappeared as she turned off the duel disk. Meanwhile, Rikku managed to grab the sphere off of the of the rock-formed pedestal.

"Heheheh…Youth wins again!" She cheered as then an incoming call came onto her communicator.

"This is Brother, can you read me?" The voice responded.

"We're fine, and we got the sphere!" She replied.

"You found the sphere?"

"Yes. We've ran into LeBlanc, though. But thinks to Tea, handling her was a piece of cake."

"Tea…Tea defeated LeBlanc!?" Brother responded, skeptical that they could've defeated the so-called mighty LeBlanc that easily.

"Yep! It was "Dark Burning Attack!" And LeBlanc was sent packing with her tail between her legs. They totally wet their pants!" Rikku waited for Brother to respond, but nothing came out from the communicator. "Hello!"

"Numo luf! Fa zimd kud uincamjac yhudnan Sphere Hunter! (Holy cow! We just got ourselves another Sphere Hunter!)" Brother shouted on the receiver, causing Rikku to slightly flinch. "Gullwings! We got the sphere!"

"What's going on?" Tea asks, overhearing the commotion.

Rikku draped an arm around her shoulder. "Well...let's just say that we're going to be together for a long time."

"Okay…"

Serenity's eyes slowly open as she finds herself on some type of plain land. "Where are we…"

"I don't know…" Tristan scratched his head as he got up. "Looks like we're not in that Petalburg City place anymore…"

"Aw who cares?" Joey shrugged. "At least 'de air is fresh." He inhaled some of the said air, then exhales in relaxation.

"Well…let's look." Yugi decided. "Tea can't be that far…"

"Hey, you whippersnappers!" A voice of an elderly man shouted at them as Yugi and co looked back.

"Er…guys? I don' think that we're 'round humans anymore…" Joey stated as an elderly purple-skinned, elf-like creature stomped towards them.

"Do you know that you're trespassing on sacred land!?" He shouted, then noticed something about the four kids, or lack thereof… "Wait a minute, you're not dead!"

"No duh ya old kook!" Joey retorted, thus causing another man to come out. He appeared to have the same appearance as the first, except he was taller and more built, as well as having long white hair as opposed to the older man's Mohawk-like hair. The most notable difference of all is that while the older man had a halo, the younger one didn't. He dressed in the similar elegant robes as the older one.

"How dare you speak to the Supreme Kai that way!" He snapped.

"Wait-a-minute! Supreme Wat?" Joey scratched his head.

"You mean that you're the ruler of this land?" Yugi asked as he pushed Joey aside.

"Yes." He said as he has since calmed down. "I'm Kibito-Shin and this is the Supreme Kai of Otherworld."

"Otherworld?" Yugi and his friends replied at the same time.

"That's right." He nodded. Recently he was the Supreme Kai before Gohan, a young Saiyan Warrior, broken the Z-Sword, thus releasing the elder Kai. "So how did you get here?"

Yugi showed him the Transphere. "This!"

Both Kais took a glance at it. "Never seen such technology before…" Kibito-Shin commented as the Elder Kai smacked him in the head.

"We can worry about the new device later. Right now we need to get back to the fight!" He reminded as the two Kais then ran off.

"Hey, wait…" Yugi ran off, following the two Kais.

"A fight!?" A smile began to form on Joey's face as he then followed. "All rite!" He cheered. "Let's go, Tristan!"

"Right behind ya, Buddy!" He responded as Serenity looked on, confused.

"Guys, shouldn't we be focused on finding Tea?" She asked.

Joey looked back at his sister. "Aw come on' Sis! We'll find her eventually!" He assured. "But for right now, by the way those guys were running off, we're missin' da fight of da century!"

"Umm…okay…" Serenity decided that it would be best if she followed. Odds were that they could actually find Tea where they're going. But what if they don't, or worse yet, what if it was too late?

Back on the Celsius, Shinra had a huge smile on his face as he was putting the finishing touches of another duel disk. On the computer screen was pictures of various duel monster cards scanned from a book.

"At last..." He sighed, "It's complete."

"What's complete?" Yuna asked, hands behind her back.

"The complete set for the dueling arena?" He stated.

"Dueling arena?" Paine walked in, not exactly thrilled with the idea. "We're supposed to be _Sphere Hunters_!"

"True, but who's says that we can't make a little more money!" The young Ah-Bhed boy stated as he examined the duel disk. "If we open up a dueling arena in Luca, we could make Blitzball and Sphere Break look like just another fad in the past."

"Sounds great and all, but what are we going to do about cards?" Buddy asked. He was intrigued with the idea, but he knew that the cards were the most important thing to this potential business venture.

"I've already made three prototype cards, thanks to this picture book of cards and this monster card Tea let me borrow." Shinra held up a card which revealed to be a "Lady of Faith" monster card. "To demonstrate this card, we would have to go on the deck. However, I'm still working on producing Effect Monsters, Traps, Spells, and Rituals."

"Looks like you got it under control!" Buddy gave Shinra a thumbs-up.

Paine sighed, "Yuna, look at me. We're Sphere Hunter's, right?"

"Sure, but this could be fun! And besides, we could use the money."

"Exactly!" Brother jumped out from the pilot's seat as he walked towards the crew. "The Gullwings should be notorious around Spira! We'll be making quick cash, as Duel Monsters will be played throughout Spira!"

"Can't this wait until they get back first?" Paine informed them about Tea and Rikku not arriving back with the sphere yet.

"Good point. Tea knows more about this game than any of us!" Yuna reminded.

"Are you just going to stay there and mope, or are you actually going to do something?" Logos asked the fallen Seto Kaiba, still distraught over the loss of his Blue Eyes...

"Poor Seto…" Mokuba said as tears began to pour out from Kaiba's eyes.

"There….are only…four Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world…" He said. "I tore up one of them so it wouldn't have been used against me…" Kaiba teary-eyed emotions soon turned into rage. "Now thanks to you there are only two left!"

"Umm…" Ormi was left speechless as Logo didn't appear to care.

Just then Kaiba instantly made a mad dash towards the Syndicate Members, seeing nothing but red. "HOW DARE YOU DESTROY ONE OF MY CARDS, LET ALONE ONE OF MY BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS!?" He then tackled Logos down and began to attack him rapidly like a rabid dog. Ormi went to help, but Kaiba gave him a "one step and you're finished" death glare.

"Go Seto! Pound those creeps!" Mokuba cheered as his big brother continued to beat on Logos like a Government Mule (A/N: Damn you Jim Ross for getting that phrase stuck in my head.). Ormi tried to help, but was then knocked down by Kaiba. After a few more punches to both of them, he got up as he brushed off his trenchcoat. He then walks over to Mokuba.

"Mokuba, it's okay now…" He said as he goes to undo the chains. But suddenly, upon contact with the chains, he then felt an electrical shock.

"Guess again, Kaiba!" Mokuba shouted with an evil grin on his face as Kaiba collapsed.

"But…Mokuba…" He replied, shocked at what his brother was doing…

"Mokuba" laughed as he then transformed. In his place was a man dressed in a green bodysuit. It was like the outfit the Femgoons wore, but it was the male version of the Syndicate Uniform. "You fell for it, Kaiba!" He said as he then slipped out from the chains.

"Ah…you've done well, my new recruit!" Logos complemented. "You'll make a fine addition to the Syndicate!"

"I'll do whatever is asked for the mighty LeBlanc!" He replied.

Ormi walked up to the literally-shocked Kaiba as he then, after kicking him away, took the briefcase… "We'll be taking this! And don't worry about your brother. He's in good hands!" Sounds of a helicopter came from the outside as the three left the warehouse, with Kaiba's briefcase in tow.

Kaiba managed to gather whatever strength he had left to stand up as he quickly made his way outside…

"Wait, that's my helicopter!" Kaiba shouted as he then saw, hanging in chains from the helicopter, was the real Mokuba Kaiba.

"Seto! Help!" He screamed.

'Not again…' He thought, remembering that the Rare Hunters had tried this before his tag team duel with Yugi against Lumis and Umbra, in attempt to get Kaiba's Egyptian God Card Obolisk The Tormentor and Yugi's God Card, Osiris The Sky Dragon (A/N: There, I said Osiris, I didn't say the S-word. Are you happy now?).

"Big Brother… Help!" Mokuba shouted as Logos smirked from the top of the Helicopter.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow…" He said as the chopper began to take off.

As Kaiba watched them leave, a smirk came to his face. 'Fools…they actually think that I would've actually given them the Transphere so easily?' He thought. 'That sphere that was in the briefcase was actually a fail-safe device designed specifically for this occasion. As soon as those Sphere Hunter idiots activate it, any electronic device within a 20-mile radius will be disabled. They'll regret the day they decided to mess with Seto Kaiba.'

Will Kaiba's plan work? Will Mokuba be safe? Will Logos and Ormi ever return home? What was the fight that the Kais were so concerned about? Will Duel Monsters become a hot commodity in Spira? Find out next chapter.

_Quick Preview for next chapter:_ On the planet of the Kais, Otherworld, Yugi and company get acquainted with the art of Fusion…Both forms.

Chapter 6: The Art of Fusion.

You all know the drill: The sooner you review, the quicker I'll post the next chapter!


	6. The Art Of Fusion

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Disclamer: I do not own the Following: Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragonball Z, Final Fantasy X(-2)

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* * *

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**Chapter 6**: The Art of Fusion! Duel Monsters Coming To Spira!

Having returned to the Celsius, Tea and Rikku handed the sphere over to Shinra for an analysis to see what kind of sphere it was, either a movie sphere or a dressphere.

"…And then BAM!" Rikku described about the incident. "You should've seen the look on her face! She totally wet her pants. She thought that the Dark Magician Girl was a fiend."

"Considering that the pyroflies are used to summon the monsters imprinted on the cards, it would be a reasonable explanation." Shinra reminded.

"You mean that we could use fiends to work for us?" Yuna asked as everyone moved closer to Shinra. Even Paine was intrigued.

"Technically, yes. But since they're like the Aeons you used to summon, if a duel disk should fall into the wrong hands…"

"I guess no matter where I go, there's always Duel Monsters-related trouble." Tea says.

"Speaking of which…" Buddy started, "Shinra has an idea which will make us some cash."

"Hmm?"

"What if we brought Duel Monsters to Spira?"

"What!?" Tea responded, not angry but surpised. "Are you serious."

Shinra explained. "Thanks to the book which contained pictures of just about every card created I have managed to save the images onto the CPU. I've already finished with the monster cards. Now I'm working on the effects monsters, Traps, Magics, and Rituals. I should have it done in about a day. The printing of the cards should be even simpler."

"Just think, Teyi!"**[1]** Rikku smiled. "You'll have something to remind you of Domino!"

"Wow…this is so…wow…" Tea couldn't help but wonder what would the ramifications be if they went ahead of the project. She didn't actually create the game, she just played it a few times, however Maxamillion Pegasus was MIA since Duelist Kingdom and was pronounced dead so she didn't she how it would hurt to bring such an awesome game to Spira. Besides, it wasn't like she was getting home anytime soon, if ever.

"Ooh Ooh!" Rikku raised a hand. "Can I get a Blue Eyes White Dragon card? Please!? Pretty Please!?"

"We'll see…" Shinra said.

"WAIT A MINUTE!" a peeved Brother walked up to them. "Who's the leader in charge!? ME! So as leader, I deserve to have first dibs of a rare card!"

"Dryd'c hud vyen! (That's not fair!)" Rikku complained.

"Kinda abusing your power abit, aren't you?" Buddy asked in annoyance.

"Oui pi xiead! (You be quiet!)" Brother snapped, then cleared his throat. "As leader of the Gullwings, I should have first pick. And the card I choose is…The Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Fryd!? Hu fyo! (What!? No way!) " Rikku replied, not too happy.

"Brother, are you sure you want the Blue Eyes White Dragon?" Tea slyly asked.

"What are you talking about, of course I want it. That card's the strongest…right?" Brother asked.

'What's she doing?' Rikku thought. She knew that the Blue Eyes White Dragon wasn't the strongest card, as Tea told her. And she knew that Tea wasn't going to let anyone make the Egyptian God Cards. Besides, even if they did, no one would be able to control them unless they had a connection to the ancient scriptures of Ancient Egypt.

"Not exactly, what if I told you that there was a monster which, if summoned successfully, you'll automatically win."

"Naymmo!? (Really!?)" Brother's eyes go wide. "Tell me, tell me, TELL ME!"

"Okay…" Tea grinned as she then winked at Rikku. 'He's so gullible I almost feel guilty…almost.' She went on. "It's the all mighty…"

"Oac…Oac… (Yes…Yes…)" Brother listened as excited as a three year old waiting for Christmas morning to come.

"The unstoppable Exodia!"

"That's the card I want!" Brother exclaimed as he turned to Rikku. "Rikku, keep your puny dragon card. I'll take the unstoppable Exoida!" He then laughed mischievously as he walked to the cabin, leaving everyone else in shock.

"That…was weird…" Buddy commented.

"I was thinking disturbing…" Shinra suggested.

"Wow…" was the only thing Yuna could say as Paine decided not to dignify Brother's actions with a response. Rikku then asked Tea, "Will he really be that powerful, in Duel Monsters I mean?"

"Yeah…if he manages to draw all five pieces of Exodia." She smiled.

"Five pieces?" Rikku asked, puzzled, then she remembered the conversation she had with Tea back at the Thunder Plains when they first met…

* * *

"So there are some monsters that are so strong that rituals are supposed to be made…" Rikku noted what Tea just told her about Ritual Monsters. 

"Yeah. There are a few monsters which could quickly end the duel, even stronger than the strongest Ritual Monster." Tea explained. "There are three super powerful cards known as Egyptian God Cards."

"Egyptian God Cards!?"

Tea nodded, "Obelisk The Tormentor, Osiris the Sky Dragon, and The Wing Dragon of Ra. However, only certain people can control them, no offense.

"None taken." Rikku shrugged as she continued to listen.

"However there is monster that could end the duel so quick that once it's summoned, you automatically win: Exodia The Forbidden One." Tea explained.

"Oohh…overkill!" Rikku grinned.

"But this monster is so powerful that the only way to summon it is to have all five parts: Right arm, right leg, left arm, left leg, and head. And to make things more difficult, each piece of Exodia are rare cards themselves.

"Whoa…you can spend decades looking and you'd only get an arm or a leg."

"Mm hmm!"

* * *

"Ohh…I remember now." Rikku grinned. "Thanks, Teyi!"

"No problem. Us gals gotta stick together!"

"Looks like Brother got suckered…" Shinra snickered.

"I feel sorry for him, though…" Yuna admitted.

"I don't." Paine said simply as she walked off.

A pink human-like monster was upside down as a yellow beam struck right thorough him, holding him like meat through a shiscabob (sp). His head tentacle was cleanly cut off from the said beam as the source floated above him.

"Have you given up yet, Buu?" He asked with a confident grin on his face.

"Curse you…" He seethed.

"Wow, dat guy's totally ownin' dat creep!" Joey exclaimed as they watched the action from the crystal ball.

"That Majin Buu guy's barely hanging on by a thread." Tristan noted.

"Looks like the fusion between Goku and Vegeta was worth it, Master." Kibito-Shin stated.

"Yes…" The old Kai nodded. "And the fact that they were rivals makes the fusion even more complete.

"Fusion?" Yugi asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, you mean dat dere's actually two people in one body?" Joey asked as well. The only fusion he knew was in Duel Monsters where a Polymerization card was used to fuse two monsters into one.

"Yes." Kibito-Shin explained as he removed his orb-like earrings from his ears. "With these two Putara earrings, two people can fuse together into one. One person places one earring on the right ear, the other on the left."

"Awesome." Tristan complemented.

"Sounds exciting!" Serenity replied.

"But there is one catch…" The old Kai reminded. "The two who uses this kind of fusion are permanently fused together. Simply put, if you're decide to use this fusion with someone, it'll be for keeps."

"Take his words to heart." Kibito-Shin explained. "I wasn't always like this, but earlier when Kibito and I tried on the Putara earrings, we were joined together."

"Wow…" Yugi's eyes went wide. "I guess this fusion should be though over carefully."

This fusion technique is intriguing indeed. But we need to get back to finding Tea.Yami reminded him.

/I know, Yami. But I don't know where to start. It doesn't appear to be a building anywhere around here./

Hmm…then we'll have to figure out something fast… Who knows what danger Tea may be in…

"Um…Yugi?" Kibito-Shin tapped his shoulder, noticing Yugi zoning out.

"Huh?" Yugi responded.

"You seem to be distracted." The old Kai asked, "Is something troubling you, Young Man?"

Yugi sighed, "Actually, I was wondering if you'd seen a friend of ours…"

Joey added. "She has brown hair, blue eyes. Seen anyone dat fits da description?"

"I'm sorry Young Man. With the exception of you four, no human has ever stepped on this sacred ground, much less a human who was still alive." The old Kai sighed, "Unfortunately she would most likely have been on earth, and unfortunately there's hardly a living being on earth, I'm afraid."

"No…" Tears began to form in Serenity's eyes as she collapsed on the ground.

"You mean that Majin Buu creep killed her?" Joey snapped.

"Wait Joey…" Yugi spoke up. "Maybe Tea isn't here, but she isn't dead either!"

"Wa? What do you mean, Yuge?"

"Maybe she used the Transphere to leave, right before Buu showed up!"

"Are you sure, Yugi?" Tristan asked.

"No…but it's a feeling I have that she's still alive somewhere…"

Joey then approached Kibito-Shin. "Yo Kibito-Shin…" He whispered.

"Yes?" He replied.

"How's 'bout you let me borrow them earrings for a sec?"

"What? Are you going to try a fusion?"

A mischievous grin formed on Joey's face. "Somthin' like dat…"

Tristan overheard the conversation. "What are you thinking Joey?"

"Just a 'lil experiment I just came up with…" He grinned as he look towards Yugi.

"You're not thinking about…"

"Shh!" Joey's plan was simple. He wondered what would happen if Yugi and Yami tried on the fusion earrings. It would appear to be a good thing with no consequences. For a long time, it was obvious that Yugi was in love with Tea, and so was Yami. Tea liked them both the same way, and Joey knew if either Yugi or Yami decided to ask her out, Tea would be caught in the middle, not knowing who should she go out with. Plus, it would stop people mistaking Yami for Yugi, despite the obvious size difference.

Serenity approached her brother. "Joey…you're not going to…"

"Quite sis." He then tossed one of the earrings towards Tristan. "Tris, you take one."

He caught it as he examined it. "What do you want me to do to them."

"Just follow my lead…" Joey said as he walked up to Yugi. "Hey Yuge!"

Yugi looked towards to his taller friend. "What's up, Joey?"

"Could we see you and Yami for a sec? There's something we need to discuss…" He said as Serenity watched on.

'I hope you know what you're doing, Big Brother…' She thought.

The Millennium Puzzle flashed as Yami stood right next to his Hikari.

"Yes Joey?" He answered.

Joey saw Tristan sneaking behind Yami as he tried to hide his smile. His plan was coming along perfectly. He knew that he couldn't actually fuse their bodies as one, since they shared the same body. But maybe their minds could be fused as one.

"I think giving him the earrings was a bad idea…" Kibito-Shin admitted to his elder.

"Maybe…but maybe not. Let's just see how things go, my boy!" He responded. "If Yugi and Yami don't want to be fused together, I'm sure they can retaliate against Joey and Tristan.

'This better work…' Tristan thought as he moved closer.

"I was just wonderin', how do ya feel 'bout Tea?" Joey asked.

"Well…um…I…" Yugi tried to respond, but was too nervous as his face turned scarlet.

"Let's just say that he really enjoys her company." Yami spoke for his Hikari.

"Yami!" Yugi responded accordingly. "It's not like you don't feel the same way too. It's like she likes you more than she likes me!"

"No! You're the one she talks about constantly."

"Do you see the look in her eyes she gets when you take over?"

"It seems dat ya both like Tea, and you're not sure who she wants!" Joey stated. "Looks like dere's only one way to settle this…" He then signaled Tristan as then they both jumped Yugi and Yami.

"Joey, what are you doing?" Yugi asked, trying to fight him off during the process.

"What do you think you're doing?" Snapped the former pharaoh trying to hold Tristan back.

"Doin' ya a fava!" Joey managed to place the Putara earring on Yugi's left ear.

Tristan had a bit of difficulty at first, but finally manages to place the earring on Yami's right ear. Suddenly, the earrings began to glow as Yugi and Yami were forced towards each other. The Millennium Puzzle began to glow as well as a flash then emitted…

Inside the chambers of the Millennium Puzzle, a man with long white hair with the front part appearing to be gelled was walking around, as if to search for something.

"The secret power of the Pharaoh grows near…" He says sinisterly. "Soon those powers will be mine…" Not too long ago, after the Millennium Puzzle was shattered, Yami Bakura, pretending to be his Hikari, "helped" Yugi gather the pieces to restore the Puzzle. However, he had placed a portion of his spirit to make sure that he wasn't separate from the Millennium Puzzle and to make sure that no one else, besides him, would claim it as their own. After the loss to Yami Marik in a special duel in the Shadow Realm, had he had not fused a part of his spirit in a piece of a puzzle, he would've spent eternity in there.

Suddenly, he noticed that the chambers were shaking abruptly. "What in the name of Ra? What kind of magic's behind this?"

After the flash was gone, everyone unshielded their eyes as the Millennium Puzzle laid on the ground in pieces. Standing in front of them appeared to be Yami, but was slightly shorter. Most noticeably was that the Putara earrings were on both of his ears.

"Umm…guys?" He replied. His voice wasn't as deep as usual, but wasn't as high-pitched as Yugi's either.

"Uhh…wat should we call ya?" Joey asked. "Yumi or Yagi?"

"Don't fuse our name, Joey! Most of me remains Yugi!" He responded. "And what gives you the right to make us fuse together in the first place?"

"Umm…heheh…just tryin' an experiment?" Joey nervously laughed, then noticed a new figure laying on the ground trying to get back up.

"…I was so close…" He said as he got up. It was the same man who was in the Millennium Puzzle. Everyone took a good look at him, most noticeably what he was wearing on his neck. It was a familiar item which Yugi and co. then recognized as the Millennium Ring.

"Bakura!?" They all responded, not sure what to make of this situation.

"I WAS THIS CLOSE TO OBTAINING THE PHAROAH'S UTLIMATE POWER!" He snapped. The British accent confirmed that it was Bakura, as well as the fact that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring had took over.

"It's you!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami Bakura smirked, "Pharoah…you look a bit different than the last time I saw you…"

"I don't know how you got in there, but you're going back to the Shadow Realm!" The Eye of Horus(sp), the symbol of the Millennium Items, appeared on Yugi's forehead as he then thrust out his arm. "MIND CRUSH!"

"Oh Ra, not again!" Another flash was emitted. It appeared that the newly fused Yugi inherited Yami's powers as well as a slight height boost.

After the flash of light dissolved, the body of Bakura was on the ground, barely conscious…

"H-Help…me…" He said, in a softer…calmer voice. Yes, the real Ryou Bakura was back.

"Bakura!" Yugi and co. attended him. Yugi remembered that Bakura was still injured, let alone not knowing how he got into that state in the first place.

"Yugi?" He replied, weakly. "…What's going on?"

Serenity approached Bakura as she went to comfort him. "It's okay…it'll be okay…"

"Don't worry. I'll heal him." Kibito-Shin walked over to the injured boy as his hands began to glow. With the Kai's hands hovered over him, Bakura gradually began to recover.

Seconds later, Bakura was good as new as he stood up. "Thank you very much." He thanked Kibito-Shin.

"It was no problem really." He responded. Healing was some of the abilities that the former Supreme Kai inherited after the fusion with Kibito.

"Driver, keep an eye on that chopper…" Kaiba ordered as he took out the sphere which looked like the sphere he showed Logos and Ormi, but this was the real deal. 'Little do they know, I'm holding the real Transphere. What they're really holding is a fail-safe device which, when activated, every electronic device they can use will be shut down. They think they can threaten me and my family? Now the Sphere Hunters have become the Sphere Hunted.' A smirk came to his face as it followed the said helicopter.

On the said helicopter, Mokuba, hanging on the bottom by a chain wrapped around his torso, feared for his life as Logo and Ormi, along with their new recruit, gloated at how they outsmarted THE Seto Kaiba.

"It was just too easy…" Ormi commented as he polished his shield.

"Did you see the look on his face after he found out that it wasn't really the brat?" Logos snickered. "And to think I thought he was smarter than that. But to be fair, he had no idea who he was dealing with. The biggest shocker was when he discovered you, Kenji."

"Yeah…" The goon known as "Kenji" removed his mask, revealing to be a man with long blackish-blue hair. **[2]** "Ever since Marik disappeared the Rare Hunters were a thing of the past. Now that I hooked up with you guys, I feel the rush once again!"

Ormi smiled. "Stick to us and you'll do fine, Kid."

Kenji chuckled. "Really, Kaiba is so pathetic."

"Tell me about it. What kind of dope would throw cards at someone?" Logos opened the briefcase as he looked at the "Transphere." "As soon as we land, we'll activate it. And then we'll be back at Spira."

"You're gonna love it there." Ormi explained. "They have…Blitzball, Sphere Break, and you can help us get sphere, as well as steal…er…I mean-"

"No problem." Kenji replied. "After stealing a bunch of rare cards as a Rare Hunter, it's not something I'll regret doing later."

A few minutes has passed as Logos saw an abandoned arena. "Ah…our destination grows near. No one would suspect that we'll be hiding our here…"

"This place does look a bit rundown…" Ormi stated. "It looks like as if it hasn't been used for years.

"Actually, it looks as if they're building it." Kenji corrected. "Today's a Sunday so nobody's actually busy."

"And by the time someone else comes, we'll be long gone." Logos then looked at Ormi. "Ormi, would you please pull up our guest. I wouldn't want our insurance policy to get hurt."

Ormi nodded as he opened the door as the helicopter made its descent. Ormi pulled up the chains as he then grabbed Mokuba.

"You're not going to get away with this!" He shouted.

"Oh, but we've already have…Thanks to this." Logos held up the sphere so Mokuba could see it. The helicopter has made it to the ground as then the LeBlanc Syndicate members stepped out of the Helicopter. "Now…how do you work this?" Logos looked around as he then saw the button. "Maybe if you push this button…" He did, but the outcome wasn't what he expected, as a wave of some sort emitted from the sphere. "What in the bloody hell is this!?" He asked, infuriated at the result. Mokuba just laughed.

"Did you really think my brother would just succumb to you creeps?" He asked with a smile. "When my brother gets here, he'll make you pay."

"That's if he catches us first…" Ormi hopped back into the Helicopter and tried to start it, but to no avail, it didn't work. "Hey! What's wrong with this thing!?"

"That's because when you activated that sphere, all electronically-controlled devices are rendered useless." A voice said behind him which freaked out him and his comrades, but place a smile on Mokuba's face.

"SETO!" He shouted as he attempted to run to his elder brother, but Logos tugged the chain which stopped him in his tracks.

"The sphere in your hand was actually a fail-safe device. It was designed to specifically, in your case, to stop any possible getaway vehicles. Perfect for double crossing snakes in the grass who kidnaps younger brothers."

"It's best if you just stay where you are, Kaiba!" Kenji warned, "Unless you want to lose the only family you had."

Seto took a look at him, recognizing him from the pier where Yugi and Joey, controlled by Marik, had their infamous duel to the death. He just snickered. "So, looks like the Rare Hunter got some new friends. But if you want the sphere…" He took out the sphere…

"Wait…Mr. Kaiba…" Logos called out to him. "We could come to some sort of understanding…"

"Hmm…I don't know if I can trust you…" Kaiba glared. "And you all know how I feel about someone who I can't trust…"

"Come on, Seto! Can't you see how desperate we are to get back home!?" Ormi asked, almost pleading. But this cause Kaiba to glare even more…

"Only a member of my family can address me to that name!" He hissed. "You may only refer to me as 'Kaiba,' that is if your memory doesn't fail you."

"Okay Mr. Kaiba…we'll let Mokuba walk towards you as you hand over the sphere. You get your brother back, we get to go back to Spira! It's a win-win situation.

"Hmm…" Kaiba began to ponder. 'Should I trust them…or not…' Unknown to him, a silhouette of two giant snakes slithered nearby…

"Okay, the first 10 copies of the cards are ready to be released!" Buddy declared as he placed the final box of booster packs which contained cards on the ground.

"Excellent!" Brother smiled with triumph. "The sooner we release the cards, the sooner the money will be coming in!"

"Wait a minute…" Rikku walked in. "Don't we get to pick one rare monster card for our own deck?" She reminded.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Shinra grabbed a small deck of cards as he then passed one of the cards to Rikku. "Here's the card you wanted: Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Rikku held the legendary dragon monster card in her hand as she giggled with glee! "Alright! Now I have the strongest card in my soon-to-be ultimate deck!" This just caused brother to give out a scoff.

"Nonsense!" Brother responded. "There is one monster that you'll never stop! And I'm holding it in my deck!" He laughed as Shinra then presented him with five cards… "What am I supposed to do with these?" He took a look at the first card as his eyebrows then arched. "I see Exodia, yes, but it only has an attack strength of 1000! How's that supposed to bring me ultimate…wait a minute…" He read the fine print, "'Spellcaster/Effect… An automatic victory can be declared by the player whose hand contains this card together with the Left Leg/Right Leg/Left Arm/Right Arm of the Forbidden One!?" Brother then snapped, "Fryd dya ramm!? (What the hell!?) TEA!!"

Tea looked over to see an enraged brother. "Umm…is something wrong?"

"You said that Exodia was the strongest card in all of Duel Monsters!" He then showed her the card. "How do you explain this!?"

"Well… do you have the other cards?" She asks sweetly.

"Other cards!?"

"Check the cards, genius!" Buddy took the set of cards and showed him the other four cards which were the Left Leg/Right Leg/Left Arm/Right Arm of the Forbidden One himself.

"But…what…But I…" Brother was speechless.

"Looks like you're gonna have a lot of work cut out for ya if you're going to beat me after all!" Rikku smirked.

"Oui pi xiead! (You be quiet!)" Brother snapped at his sister.

"Just hope that you manage to get a Pot of Greed or Graceful Charity Spell Card, a Jar of Greed Trap Card, or even a Cyber Jar into your new deck." Buddy advised with a grin.

"Crid ib! (Shut up!)"

"So how many cards are we supposed to get?" Yuna asked, hoping to change the subject.

"You should have at least 50 cards in your deck. You start with five, but you can hold up to 7. If you have seven and your turn ends, you'll have to discard one card to the graveyard." Tea explained as Rikku grabbed 8 booster packs, ready to start the construction of her deck.

"Hope these cards will support my Blue Eyes…" She said as she began to open one, revealing nine cards. "Oooh…Dragon Treasure…"

Shinra approached Paine, but before he could respond.

"Pass…" She said, not wanting to have any part of this.

Shinra sighed as he looked towards Yuna. Buddy didn't really mind which card he had left, and Shinra had already picked out a card for himself before he distributed the cards. Yuna was the only one left.

"Yuna…" Shinra presented her with what was left of the cards, "Take your pick." There were three cards left: Dark Magician of Chaos, Despair from the Dark, and Guardian Angel Joan.

"Hmm…" Yuna pondered, deciding which card will benefit her.

"And so you're here looking for Tea?" Bakura asked.

"Yeah... We searched one world, but she wasn't there. Now we're looking for her in this, but we're not having any luck here, either." Yugi sighed. "Well…all I got was mine and Yami's mind fused together, thanks to Joey and Tristan's idea." He said with a slight glare at Joey and Tristan, as he was now as tall as Bakura.

"Fusion…oh my…" Bakura shrugged, "At least you won't have to worry about who Tea likes best anymore…"

"That's true…"

Joey, Tristan, and Serenity were listening to Kibito-Shin telling them about another method of fusion…

"Fusion Dance?" Joey replied, skeptical about how dancing could have anything to do with fusing.

"Yes Joey, the people from Metamor uses the fusion dance to combine two people into one powerful warrior." Kibito-Shin explained. "But the two people must be of same size and be symmetrical to the movements."

"Same size…" Serenity pondered. "Joey and Tristan seem to fit that description."

Kibito-Shin continued, "These movements are tricky, but if done correctly the results are far from satisfying. But unlike the Putara fusion, it only lasts 30 minutes."

"So we'll only be fused for a short time." Tristan responded, "So what are the movements for this fusion, anyway?"

"Well…you stand next to your partner, but about a few feet away…"

Joey grabbed Tristan as they were now standing next to each other as far as Kibito-Shin has stated. "Like dis?"

"Then you bend your knees down sideways as you shift three steps to your partner while extending your arms, smoothly bringing them towards your partner, as you say 'Fu.'"

Joey and Tristan did as instructed. "Got it!" They responded.

"Then you take your inside knee and point it to the outside as you then shift your arms to the opposite direction as well, and say 'Sion'." Kibito-Shin instructed as they then did as instructed.

"Then comes the part where it counts the most: You then lean to the insides as you bring your arms nearer and point, making the tip of your index finger connect as you then shout 'Ha!'"

Joey and Tristan did as instructed, but almost fell down.

"Eheheheh…I think we got it now!" Joey assured as he then looked at Tristan. "Let's go!"

Tristan nodded as they got into position. The Elder Kai watched on, with a bit of concern on his face.

"Kids these days…" He sighed as he watched the two get ready. "They're too quick to go. Never have any patience…"

"Fu…" They begin to start.

"So far so good…" Serenity said to herself as her brother and potential boyfriend continued.

"Sion…"

Uh oh…' She thought, as she saw Tristan extended his index fingers too soon. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"Ha!" They finished the pose as an aurora of light glowed on them. Joey blue, Tristan red. Their colored silhouette crossed each other as a bright flash emitted, causing everyone, even Yugi and Bakura to shield their eyes. After the flash disappeared, everyone was in shock.

"What the?" Yugi was the first to respond.

"Oh my…" Bakura the second.

"Umm…" Serenity was speechless at the "result" of the fusion of Joey and Tristan. What stood before them was an extremely obese guy wearing a black vest with orange fur on the edges and top and white baggy pants. His hair was a mixture of Joey's and Tristan's. It was basically a brunette-colored mullet, save for the Tristan's trademark "spike" at the front of the hair.

"Wow…is that really you?" She asked, still a bit dumbstruck. 'After all the times they pigged out at Burger World, now they finally look the part.' She thought, musing herself.

"Uhh…Serenity?" He spoke. Even their voices were fused together, but sounded bloated. Understandable since they're in the condition they are now.

"So…what's your name?" Yugi asked as he walked over to the "newly-fused" Joey and Tristan.

"Uhh…Troey." He said.

"So Troey, how does it feel to be fused into one person?" Bakura asked.

"Well…all I want to do is to eat and take a nap." Troey responded, causing everyone to anime-fall.

"I know the problem…" The elder Kai walked up to the group, along with Kibito-Shin. "They screwed up. Tristan pointed with his fingers too soon, thus the whole fusion was thrown off."

"So what are we suppose to do now?" Yugi asks.

"There's nothing we can do except to wait for 30 minutes for the fusion to wear off." Kibito-Shin said.

"Heh…Metamorees they're not." The elder Kai mused.

Troey sighed. If there was anyone who wanted the fusion to end quickly, it was him. Afterwards, Tristan and Joey would do the Fusion Dance again, but this time the correct way.

* * *

**[1]** Teyi (pronounced Tay-yee) is Rikku's new nickname for Tea. Like "Yunie" for Yuna.

**[2]** This is the same Rare Hunter who controlled the crane which held the same create that would've dropped on Tea during the "Joey's Betrayal" saga. I just decided to give him a name. If he already had one, aw well.

* * *

Sorry to end it here, but I need sleep. But what will Kaiba do? The LeBlanc Syndicate has him in a vulnerable position with Mokuba in their capture, they're ready to make a trade, but can Kaiba trust them? And if not, how will he get his little brother back. And to make matters worse, more trouble may be on the horizon. Also, when the fusion wears off, and Joey and Tristan tries again, will they actually do it right this time. Which card did Yuna take? Dark Magician of Chaos, Despair from the Dark, or Guardian Angel Joan? Right now I'm still deciding on which card Yuna should have in her new deck. And remember: The sooner you leave your reviews, the sooner I'll have up the next chapter.


	7. Destination: Spira

I didn't get any feedback for the last chapter, but I still decided to post this chapter.  After I'm finished with this story, I plan on starting a follow-up to this one.

Disclaimer:  Don't own Yu-gi-oh, Dragonball Z, or Final Fantasy.

**Chapter 7:**  Destination: Spira

Disclaimer:  I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy X-2, Pokemon, or Dragonball Z

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Flashbacks/Dreams

Kaiba had a dilemma in his hands.  Logos and Ormi, and that former Rare Hunter, Kenji had his brother Mokuba in their capture.  The only way they would release him was if he handed over the Transphere, the only way they could get back to Logos and Ormi's homeworld.   But then again, he didn't knew if he could trust him this time.  He remembered encountering Kenji for the first time since the Battle City Tournament as he was disguised as Mokuba.  Those Sphere Hunters' technology was more advanced than he imagined.  Another thing was his pride.  He didn't want people telling him what to do and when to do it.  And to make matters worse, he was oblivious to what was behind him.  It was two Shadows of giant mechanical snakes which were approaching him.

"Well Mr. Kaiba….what will it be?" Logos asked.  As Kaiba was about to make his decision, Mokuba kicked Logos in the shin as he rushed towards his brother, spotting the figures behind him…

"SETO, WATCH OUT!" He warned as Kaiba looked back and saw the mechanical snakes, which had bullet revolvers for heads.  Acting quickly, Kaiba tossed another cards at the Syndicate.

"Not this again…" Logos sighed, remembering that Kaiba tried this stunt before, as he shot the card down.  Ormi and Kenji looked down as they then saw the now-damaged card…

"That's just the Fake Trap card!" Kenji shouted as he then realized.  It was all a distraction as Kaiba had took the time to free his brother and quickly made a run for it.

Logos seethed as he saw them, "Viper Snipers, attack!" He ordered as he pointed towards the Kaiba brothers.  The two Viper Snipers began to shoot at them as Kaiba shielded Mokuba as the bullets deflected off of his white sleeveless trench.  It appeared that the snake-like weapons were all but useless to the LeBlanc Syndicate.

"Get a load of this!" Ormi took the large circular-shaped shield from his back as he began to spin around.  After several spins at high speed, he tossed it like a discus at the elder Kaiba.  Because his back was turned to Kaiba, he couldn't see the shield hit him on the back of his skull, thus knocking him out…

"SETO!"  Mokuba cried out as the fallen CEO collapsed on top of him, pinning him down.  This made the Kaiba brothers easy pickings for the LeBlanc Syndicate.

"Hmm…it seems as if the Brothers Kaiba have fallen under our hand." Logos observed as he passed two pairs of handcuffs to Kenji. "Place these on them.  And Ormi, retrieve the sphere!  And don't screw this up…"

"Always with the putdowns, but where's the praise!?" Ormi retorted, which earned a bullet to be shot towards his feet, but not actually hitting them.  He then walked on to the fallen brothers along with Kenji and the Viper Snipers.

"Please Seto…wake up…" Mokuba begged, as he desperately tried to get him to wake up.  The only thing he could see was the black turtleneck his brother was wearing and the insides of his trench coat.   However, on one side, the coat was pulled back as Kenji dragged Mokuba and placed his hands behind him as they were then accessorized with the cuffs.  The same was done to Kaiba, who, after Ormi dug into his pockets, had the Transphere taken from him.

"So…what do you think it does?" He asked.

"Lemme see that?" Kenji swiped the Transphere as he examined it.  "Hmm…"

"What?"

"It looks like it has some type of censors on the sides, so its activation must have something to do with our thoughts.

"How do you know that?"  Ormi responded, surprised.

"Master Marik used to have security systems based on this kind of technology to the Rare Hunters Hideout." Kenji explained as he then tossed the Transphere to Logos.  "Since you know about this Spira place, you do the honors."

"Fine…" Logos sighed as he then commanded, "Grab the Kaibas.  We might still have some use for them…"

Ormi and Kenji nodded as they placed Mokuba and Kaiba onto the two Viper Snipers while Logos closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the Transphere's activation.

'This better work…' He thought as after a few grunts of frustration, a green portal opened.  Logos then opened his eyes as he saw the portal.  "Looks like Seto Kaiba came through for us after all." He looked towards his comrades.  "Syndicate, let's go!" Logos then entered through the portal, followed by Kenji and Ormi, as well as the two Sniper Vipers which carried Kaiba and Mokuba."  As Kaiba's limo driver just arrived on the scene…

"Mr. Kaiba where are y-huh?"  He saw the portal closing gradually.  He ran towards the portal, but it was too late, as it had already closed.

"Mother said that I should've stayed in College to get my PhD, but did I listen!?"

On top of the Celsius, Tea was busy exploring the wonders of the new Garmet Grid she received, as well as a few dresspheres.  With no new spheres being detected, the Gullwings had all the spare time that they wanted, at least until Buddy detects data on a new sphere.  Everyone was focused on the new (to them) Duel Monsters game, which had become popular through Spira.  Needless to say, the Gullwings are making a bundle of money, as well as more publicity.  Rikku, Brother, Buddy, Shinra, Yuna were busy with the game, if they were not dueling each other, they were examining their decks, deciding on how they could improve their decks.  Even Paine has dueled a bit, which surprisingly for someone who wanted nothing to do with it she became even better than Tea.

"Let's see how this works…" Tea placed the four dresspheres into the grid.  "Let's start with this one!" She activated the first one, the thief dressphere.  In a smooth motion, a beam of light shined down on her as her clothes were dematerializing.  In their place was a skirt, a pair of boots and glove and a bikini top.  Just like Rikku's outfit, the boots were white and blue, but the heel was two inches high and the length of the shin was mid-calf-length.  The skirt was as short as Rikku's, but it had a color mixture of blue and white, save for the purple utility belt around her waist. Her top and gloves were left in plain sky blue color as Tea looked down and was in for a shock.

"This is a bit embarrassing…" Tea blushed as she then thought about what would her friends think if they saw her like this? What would Yugi think?  'Speechless,' She thought as she then quickly activated another dressphere: Gunner.

The light beamed down on her again as her clothes were then replaced with pink corset top, blue hot pants with a pink/white sash around her waist, white stockings, and black knee-high boots.

"Cool!" She responded, while looking at the guns in her hands.  She toyed with the idea of practicing a few shots.  In the clouds, she suddenly saw an image of Marik, the man who mind controlled her for a brief time.

"Here's something for you to mind control, you sick freak!" She shouted as she then fired a barrage of bullets in the air.  After a few more shots where released, she pulled on the trigger, only to get the clicking sound.

"Oops…" She giggled nervously, "Have to reload…" She said as the door opened.

"Having fun?" Rikku asked with a grin on her face.

"Heheh…sorry….  I guess I got a bit carried away." Tea placed the guns on the ground.

"Glad to hear it."

"How about you?  How's the dueling coming along?" Tea asked.

"Why'd you think I came out here?" Rikku responded.  "I beat Brother for the 5th time already.  And every time, he complains.  It's like 'Ru vyen!  Aui lraydat!(No fair! You cheated!)' Just because he didn't summon Exodia he throws this fit!"

"Wait a second," Tea realized, "If Brother's busy dueling, than who's-"

"Don't worry about it." Rikku assured.  "We're much safer on autopilot…which brings up an important question: What exactly does Brother _do_ around here anyway?"

"Besides being annoying?" Tea joked, which caused them both to laugh.

"He keeps on hitting on Yuna so much, it's sad." Rikku sighs, "When will he get it through his head that she's not interested."

"Who _is_ she interested in?" Tea asked with a sly grin.

"It's a secret." Rikku responded.

"Oh come on!  We're friends now!  And friends tell each other secrets, right?"

"Aww…" Rikku whined.  As much as she wanted to tell her, she didn't really want to talk about Tidus: The reason why Yuna became a Sphere hunter in the first place.  It all started when Yuna found a sphere of him, or at least it appeared to be.  Like Yuna, Rikku wondered if he was still alive.  Next to Yuna, Rikku was the only person who he was closest to and was the first person he met when he mysteriously appeared in Spira.  After Sin's defeat and the Eternal calm came, he disappeared without a trace.

"Please Rikku?" Tea asked, almost begging like.

"Okay…." Rikku sighed in defeat as she began to explain everything that she and Yuna went through in the past two years.  From Tidus and her's unexpected meeting, all the way to Sin's defeat and the beginning of the Eternal Calm.  Tea's eyes couldn't help from going from amusement, to horror, and then to shock.  Especially when she heard that the Al Bhed, her race, weren't at one point despised because, as some have mentioned, they used forbidden machines known as "machina."  When Rikku talked about Tidus and Yuna's romantic night at Macalania Woods, two words was all Tea could describe it…

How Romantic.

As happy Tea was for Yuna, she couldn't help but envy her.  She always hoped that she would have something like that happened to her.  This made her think about her friends once more.  She could even remember remember the day when she first really got to know Yugi and Joey… 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Welcome to Burger World!" Tea greeted with a smile.  She was wearing a blue and white outfit with a blue pleated skirt, white socks, and white trainers; The official uniform for the waitress.  However, her smile quickly faded to worry when she saw them...

Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, still in their blue pants and jackets, the boys' school uniform for Domino High, stood outside.

'Oh no, you have to be eighteen to work here! If they find out that I still go to school, I'll be fired for sure,' Tea panicked as she watched her classmates walking in, she knew that they've recognized her.

After they've received their order, Yugi and Joey sat down at a table, ready to eat.

"Ya know Yuge, we really need to get to know Tea." Joey explained.

"I know, Joey," Yugi agreed with a smile, "she rarely loses her temper and she's-"  He was then interrupted by an annoyed and angry Tea, who walked towards them with a ketchup bottle in her hand. 

"What are you doing?" She asked coldly, "Here have some ketchup!'' She gave an evil grin as she, much to their horror, squirted the ketchup downward carelessly, which got all over the two customers, especially Joey!

"We're sorry, Tea!" Joey protested as the ketchup was now all over his jacket.

"Yeah, we didn't even know that you worked here?" Yugi added.

"You think that this is what I want to do?" She responded, "Well I'm saving up my money so I can get into this dance school in New York!  After I graduate, I'm going to become a dancer!"  She stopped as she then looked at them, expecting them to laugh at her, just like everyone else she told.  "You're not laughing?"

"Of course not, Tea!" Joey replied.

"Yeah, if that's what you really want to do!  You should follow your dreams Tea!" Yugi once again added.

This was slightly overwhelming for Tea.  After all the ridicule people gave her about her dreams, here she was with two of her classmates who gave their support.  She wanted to cry, but she remembered that she had a job to do. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tears started to poor from Tea's eyes.  She wanted to go home, to see them again.  She wanted to see Yugi, Joey, Tristan, even Serenity.  Hell, even seeing the cold, heartless look on Kaiba's face would have made her day at this point.  It just hurt her to know that she would never see them again.

"Hello…earth to Teyi!" Rikku called out to her.  Concern came to her face as tears came out from her friend's eyes.

'What a stupid mistake...' Tea thought.  'I should've talked to Serenity and everyone about how I was feeling.  Instead I took the coward's way out and ran away.   And the worse part, even if they did found out that I ran away, they had no idea where I am.'

"Teyi…" Rikku said softly.  It was then she realized that her talking about her adventures with the people who had eventually became her friends, had reminded Tea about _her_ friends.  The same friends she left behind back in Domino, all over some trivial misunderstanding.

"Man…dat was weird…" Joey commented.  After the 30 minutes were up, and they were split back together, he and Tristan couldn't have been happier.

"I'll say…" Tristan replied.  "I'll never pig out again."

"I won't eat food period."

Serenity couldn't help but giggle.  "At least you can try again.  But not with a bit more practice!" She smiled.

Suddenly, as if out of no where, Majin Buu appeared, much to everyone's shock and horror, but looked a bit different.  He was wearing not the Orange Gi top over the blue shirt as he was earlier, but the top he was wearing had the colors in reverse order, the same as Vegeto's.  Both Kai's were distraught, knowing that the fusion of Goku and Vegeta, Earth's final hope, has failed.

"Oh no…" The Elder Kai cried, recognizing the pink Majin. "We've completely forgotten about Majin Buu!"

Buu smiled as he then noticed Yugi and company.  "Hmm…I've never seen you before, but no matter!  You'll just end up like the rest!  Just like I did to Earth, your planet will cease to exist, as well as the people upon this pathetic planet."

"Well why don't ya just try it, ya pink piece of-"

"Joey, stop!  You don't know what he's capable of!" Serenity begged as she tried to hold him back from punching him.

"What are you going to do, Stupid Dog?" Buu scoffed.  "Vegeto was my toughest opponent I've ever faced, but in the end even he couldn't destroy me!"

"DAT DOES IT!" Joey screamed as he was about to lunch at him.  It was already bad enough Kaiba called him names such as Mutt, Puppy, and any other dog names he could come up with, without Majin Buu adding on to the problem as well.

Tristan, Bakura, and Kibito-Shin held Joey back with all of their strength as Buu laughed.

"If I wasn't going to kill you all, I would suggest that he seeks therapy immediately."  He stroked his chin as he then turned his attention to Yugi.  "Alright, Boy!  You're going to be the first to go!  Now it's time to die!" He flew towards an annoyed Yugi, who rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so…" The eye of horus(sp) appeared on his forehead again as he thrust his arm out towards a diving Buu.  "MIND CRUSH!"

After the flash of light had died down, Majin Buu was gone as everyone looked at Yugi in shock.

"How did he…What the…He…and-" The Elder Kai couldn't figured out how, after Vegeto couldn't beat him, Yugi managed to defeat Majin Buu without breaking a sweat.

Bakura, Joey, Tristan, and Serenity were shocked as well.  Not only did the Fusion give Yugi Yami's powers, but they also gave Yugi even more confidence than he already had before.

"Wow!" Kibito-Shin exclaimed.  "How could Majin Buu be defeated so easily?"

"I sent him to the Shadow Realm." Yugi explained.  "Let's just say that he won't be back for a long time."

"Hey guys, shouldn't we go find Tea?" Serenity reminded them.

"Oh man, I almost forgot!" Joey responded.

"I'll pretend that I didn't here that, Big Bro." Serenity replied, a bit coldly.

Yugi took out the Transphere as everyone, aside from the two Kai's, gathered.  "Guy, I don't believe that Tea's here, so I think we need to move on." He explained.

"I agree, but it'll be nice to see Tea again." Bakura stated.

"The sooner we find her, the sooner we can get home." Joey said.

"I hope Tea's okay." Serenity said as Tristan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Serenity, I'm sure Tea's fine." He said, ignoring a "watch it" look from Joey.

"Alright then, hang on!" Yugi instruct as he was just about to press the button on the device.

"Take care!" Kibito-Shin shouted towards them, saying his goodbyes.  "I hope you find your friend!"

"Don't get into any trouble!" The elder Kai instructed as the blue flash was then emitted from the sphere.  The two Kai's shielded their eyes from the flash.  After the flash has died out, they were the only ones left on the planet."

"Now what do we do, Elder?" Kibito-Shin asked.  With Earth destroyed, not to mention possibly planets, at the hands of Buu.  There was no one left who would protect the galaxy from any possible threat.

"Well…we could always go to Namek and use their Dragonballs to restore the universe back the way it was." The elder Kai suggested.

"Seto…Seto?  Wake up big brother!" Mokuba called out to the still unconscious Kaiba.  They were in some type of hotel room which appeared to be out of an elf-like community.

"Please wake up…" Mokuba begged as his brother was slowly beginning to recover.

"No…Mokuba…I don't want to go to Disney World…" He muttered to his sleep.  He appeared to be still dreaming, which would otherwise have been the perfect opportunity to gather blackmail material.  But in the situation they were in, it was too dangerous for childish games.

"This is serious Seto!  We're in this strange place. Come on, I'm worried!" Mokuba pleaded as Seto slowly sat up.

"Mokuba…" Seto rubbed his head.  "Where are we?"

"I don't know… mostly everything here's made of wood." Mokuba noted as he saw the tree-like walls, as well as the wooden bed.  Even the floors and ceiling were wood-based.

"Strange…" Kaiba thought, then blinked.  It was then he remembered dealing with the LeBlanc Syndicate who sent their Viper Snipers after them.  He tried to shield Mokuba, knowing that his sleeveless trench was bulletproof.  It was then he felt something hard hitting his head from behind, rendering him unconscious.  "So Logos and Ormi brought us here... No, otherwise we would then be in some type of dungeon.  And from the looks of this place, this is far from a dungeon Mokuba."

"What are you saying, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"Either they have a huge misunderstanding on how to treat a prisoner, or someone else must have brought us here." He concluded as he then grabbed his trench, which was draping on the wooden chair.  "Let's go Mokuba!  Obviously there's some questions that need answers." He walked out the door.

"Hey Seto, wait up!" Mokuba rushed quickly to follow.  He too wanted to know what exactly was going on around here.

"So let me get this straight!  You just happened to just find us outside?" Kaiba asked, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.  He appeared to be talking to an elderly gentleman behind a counter.

"That's right, Sir.  Two of my employees just happened to have found you and your young friend laying unconscious on the ground." He replied.  "Then they brought you all here.  And I, being the generous person that I am, gave you a room so you could recover." He then looked closely at Kaiba and Mokuba.  "And judging by your clothes, I guess you're not from around here!"

"Wow…did you manage to find that out yourself, or did someone have to tell you." Kaiba rolled his eyes.

Mokuba sighed as he looked up to look at the eyes of the man they were talking to.  "Don't mind my brother, Sir.  He's just a bit cranky." He explained.  "Can you tell us where we are?"

"Son, you are standing inside the only Inn at Guadosalam."

Both Kaibas' eyes went wide.  "GUADOSALAM!?"

"That's right!" The elderly man replied.

'I guess those creeps did take us with them…' Kaiba thought.  Why did they decide to just abandon them both?  Why were they brought here in the first place?  And who were those people who brought them here into this Inn?

"I'm going to get some air…" Kaiba muttered as Mokuba watched him.

"Seto, it's not a good idea to go out there by yourself." He warned.  "What if those guys come-"

"Mokuba if Logos and Ormi dare show their faces, they'll regret the day they decided to mess with us." Kaiba said, a bit coldly as he went outside.  Right there, his mouth was opened with shock.  It appeared that not only the Inn was made out of wood, but everything else as well.  Every building appeared as if it was constructed from inside of a giant tree which they were standing in.  The only lighting this place had was the lamps, which brought light to the entire location.

"Looks like Guadosalam's still stuck in the 1800s." Kaiba mused as he then saw Mokuba running up on the branch-like walkway they were currently standing on.  "Mokuba, where are you going?"  

"I just heard about this cool place from someone, Seto!  Something about a Farplane! We should check it out!"

"What we should be doing is finding Logos and Ormi.  They do have the Transphere, which happens to be our ticket home." Kaiba explained to his little brother.

"Oh come on, Seto! It's not everyday we get to experience a whole new world." Mokuba reminded as he continued to the gate which would lead to the Farplane.

"Mokuba, wait!" Kaiba called out, but it was hopeless.  Mokuba had already passed through the gate.  'The Farplane didn't sound that much threatening…' He assured himself as he then saw a Chateau at the bottom.  He wondered if possibly the mayor of this city would be there.  Maybe some of his questions would be answered.  But what or more accurately who he saw quickly changed his mind.  There were two guys standing outside, dressed in the same uniform Kenji wore.  They were outside, standing guard for some reason.  If they were out there, then Logos and Ormi were inside the Chateau, let alone the Transphere and their ticket home. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, he walked down from the roots, all the way to the chateau as he was about to walk on, but the guards stepped into his way.

"Halt!" One of them said.  "Only authorized personnel allowed in Chateau LeBlanc!  No solicitors."

"I don't have time for your games.  Get out of my way." Kaiba replied with an order, coldly.

"You better leave." The other warned.  "You better not mess with the Syndicate!  You're not getting in here, see?"

"Do you have a death wish?  Listen, Logos and Ormi stole my Transphere and I'm looking to get it back!"

"Anything goes for the Mighty LeBlanc!" They both shouted.

"You don't want to mess with me, trust me." Kaiba glared deathly, arms crossed.

"And what are you going to do?"

"Don't push me…" Kaiba threatened.  He was going to break in Chateau LeBlanc to get back his Transphere, one way or another…

"We could always call for backup."

"Why?  Don't think you can take me on by yourselves?  How pathetic…"  Kaiba then heard Mokuba calling him, almost in a fatal scream.

"SETO!" Mokuba ran for his life to his brother for an embrace...

"What's wrong, Mokuba?" He asked.

"You're not going to believe this…"

 "Uhh…Yuge?"

"What's up?" Yugi asked Joey, still looking around in their new location which appeared to be in Luca as crowds of people were talking with each other, and what it appeared to be trading cards.

"You're not going to believe this…" Joey pointed up to a balloon which looked exactly like the Dark Magician.

"Strange…we're not back in Domino…" Tristan noted.

"Very strange, indeed..." Bakura added.  "How could anyone here know about Duel Monsters, let alone the Dark Magician?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Serenity figured as she saw another Duel Monster-themed Balloon, this time of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

'I like her, but would someone buy this girl a clue?' Tristan thought as he silently groaned at Serenity's naïve attitude.

"Maybe we could find some answers here?" Yugi suggested as he then heard a man with a microphone in his hand…

"Step up folks! Own a piece of the newest and hottest commodity to hit Spira!  Get your Duel Monster cards, right here!"  This announcement made the group's eyes go wide.

"You mean they got duel monster cards here!?" Joey and Tristan both shouted in unison.

"Well that explains the balloons."  Bakura deducted.

"You think that Tea could be here?" Serenity asked.

"Seem more likely, after what we've seen…" Joey nodded.

"Joey's right." Yugi said.  "We should start asking around."

"Right!" The others nodded as they then split up, with Joey, Tristan, and Serenity going one direction, and Yugi, Bakura, going another.

********************************************************

I know that it sucks for me to end this chapter right there.  But I've already had twelve pages going into this.  Honestly, I don't know which direction to go to either.  I've already know how this story's going to end.  The problem is, like with most authors/authoresses, how to get there and how to build up to it.  So right now, Yugi and his friends are searching around Luca for information about Tea's whereabouts, provided if she's there (I believe we already know that answer ^_-).  While Mokuba's freaked out about what, or possibly who, he saw in the Farplane.  Here's the question of the day: Who, or what did Mokuba see in the Farplane?  After I receive three reviews, I'll post the next chapter.


	8. Reunion Part One: Arrivals

Here's the next chapter, but first a few notes:

1) I might add some fake cards (If the real show can do it, why can't I?) in future chapters. I'm still deciding if I should or not, but if I do, the cards might be Spira-Based. (EX: Fiends might be used as Monster Cards)

2) The rules I'm going to be using for duels are not the ones in seen in the Battle City or Duelist Kingdom, but the official Card Game rules, so yeah they'll start with 8000 life points. The reason why is because I've been playing too much of Yu-gi-oh Dawn of Destiny, which is also why I'm using the decks they have in the game as wel.l (So yes, in this story Joey has Summoned Skull and Meteor Dragon,) But some cards will also be added which wasn't in the game. (Why Kaiba didn't have his Lord of Dragons/Flute of Summoning Dragons combo or his Crush Card Virus in the game is beyond me.)

I also managed to edit some of the earlier chapters a bit, and found some things that made me think "The Hell?" (Note to self: Never do any stories when you're about to fall asleep) But since I'm not exactly used to the new Quick-Edit System, I'm may have to do some more edits.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy X-2

* * *

**Chapter 8:** Reunion Part 1- The Arrivals

Kaiba's eyes went wide after seeing what he saw. To say that he couldn't believe what he was seeing would be an understatement. "No…no way! This can't be…"

"It's scary, isn't it Seto?" Mokuba replied at his brother's shock. "I mean, how did this happen?"

"How could they be here, of all places?" Kaiba asked as he looked at two images which looked all too familiar. One of them was a fairly-built man who appeared to be in his forties. He had black hair with a bit of grey on the sides, as well as a mustache. Save for the red suit. The other one was a teal-haired boy who appeared to be 10 years of age, wearing white shorts and a white long-sleeved dress shirt.

"How did Gozaburo and Noah escaped the Virtual World? We both saw it be destroyed, Mokuba. It doesn't make any sense!" Kaiba tried to find a logical explanation, but it all went in vain. It was right before the Virtual World was destroyed, as they and Yugi were rushing back to the blimp. They almost didn't make it, but they managed to escape it just before it exploded into nothingness.

"I don't know…it's not as if ghosts could travel through different dimensions…right?" Mokuba asked, showing hints of fear.

"If this is some sick idea of a joke, they need to find a new hobby…" Kaiba said coldly, as then two more figures appeared, much to his horror. "No…"

"What is it, Seto?" Mokuba looked on as he then saw the figures. One of them was a young woman with blue eyes and long black hair, wearing a teal dress. The other one was a tall young man who looked like Kaiba, but had a goatee, dressed in a black suit, and in place of Kaiba's blue eyes were brown ones. "Seto…? Who are they?" He asked his brother. If Kaiba wasn't in shock before, he was now.

"It can't be…" He said silently, so silent that Mokuba couldn't hear him as a small tear formed in his eye. "…m-mother…father…?"

"Teyi, hurry up!" Rikku stood right outside of the door in the cabin area, her patience slowly decreasing. She wasn't wearing her thief duds today, as she managed to "borrow" a few clothes from Tea. Yellow tube Top which its length went down to the middle of her abdomen, Red Hotpants with a white string laced in the front and tied together, Black thigh-high stockings and red platform sandals. Her usual blue headband was absent as her blonde hair which its length, when let down from its ponytail, reached down to her lower back as only a side portion was braided in a ponytail. "How long are you going take."

"Hold your horses!" Was Tea's reply from the cabin, slightly muffled by the steel sliding door.

"How can you take so long? It's all in the activation of the Grid." Rikku replied. She was finally going to overcome another fear: The Farplane. In the past, she didn't want her memories to be exposed as going to the Farplane was not really seeing the dead, but the pyroflies just react to the people's thoughts of their lost love ones and projects their images. The mechanical door soon slid open as Rikku sighed. "Finally…"

Tea stepped out, wearing her "Thief" outfit. She was still a bit shy about wearing it, but not to hurt Rikku's feelings, she decided to wear it at least once. Maybe she'd wear it more often. After all, she might enjoy it.

Tea glanced at Rikku. "Are those my clothes you're wearing?" She asked

"Yeah." Rikku did a fashionable pose. "What'd ya think? Is it me? Or is it me?"

"It looks nice, Rikku." Tea complemented. "But next time, could you ask if you want to borrow my clothes?"

"Okay…" Rikku sighed, now she felt guilty.

"Now come on. How long is it before we reach Guadosalam, anyway?" Tea asked as she walked towards the elevator which would lead them to the bridge.

"Well…to be honest…." Rikku tried to explain, but it was too late, as they had already arrived on the bridge.

"Rikku, the Commsphere at the Farplane is connecting." Shinra informed which caused Tea to suspiciously look at her.

"Eheheh…" Rikku laughed nervously.

"Rikku…"

"Oh come on, like you're not curious to see how the Commspheres work." Rikku pouted.

Tea sighed, knowing that Rikku was right. After all, she was intrigued by their Commsphere network. They could see all around Spira, watching everything that went on. Besides, it could be put to use for finding blackmail to use against certain stuck-up snobs.

Speaking of "stuck-up snobs," Tea's eyes went wide at what, or who she just saw.

_"Seto…who are they?" _Mokuba asked as he pointed to the couple. He noticed that his brother was still in shock. _"Seto?__ Hello, earth to Seto!"_

"It can't be!" Tea said in shock. "Kaiba!? And Mokuba?"

"You know them?" Shinra asked.

"You could say that…" Tea responded as she then noticed the four figures, the two in front of Mokuba she recognized. She remembered Noah. He was the one who trapped her, them, and her friends into the Virtual World out of hatred for Kaiba, but in the end he was just a misunderstood and confused child. She then glared at the figure which resembled Gozaburo, the man responsible for Kaiba, Mokuba, and Noah's pain. Plus he was consequently the reason why Seto Kaiba's the cold, arrogant, heartless person he was today. Not to mention that he planned to digitize the entire world and to feed on his ego. The two who were in front of Kaiba she could not. Whoever they were, they were freaking him out to a point where Mokuba's really concerned.

As Tea and the others watched on through the Commsphere, Kaiba sighed.

_"Mokuba…it's time you've learned the truth, about our parents…"_ He said.

_"Our parents?__ What do you mean, Big Brother?"_ Mokuba replied.

_"You remember when…no you were too young to remember…"_

_"Remember what?"_

Kaiba sighed, _"I suppose that you don't remember what our parents looked like…"_ He placed a hand on his little brother's shoulder as he then pointed to the images. _"You see those two people in front of us?"_

_"Yes…"_ Mokuba nodded as he saw the couple.

_"They…were our real parents…"_ He explained. _"You were too young to remember it, but after you were born, our mother died. Then years later, our father died in a car crash. That's when we were placed into an orphanage."_

Mokuba's eyes went wide, as tears began to form in his eyes. His brother had always told him, on rare occasions about their parents. Kaiba, believing that they should put the past behind them, never wanted to talk about their lost parents, but sometimes the guilt that he to some extent got to know their parents while Mokuba was too young to even remember them. Pictures were out of the question as they didn't even have those. The only thing they could remember about their past was the Duel Monster Card-shaped locket which contained a part of the picture of each other. Each of them had a part of the picture which contained the other.

'Poor Kaiba…' Tea thought. It was bad enough that Kaiba's parents died when he was at a young age and was consequently sent to an orphanage, but Mokuba had it worse, since he never really got to know his mother.

Rikku was almost to tears. She could relate to what Mokuba was feeling, seeing that she never really got to know her Mother as well. The only biological family she had was Brother and her father, Cid. (A/N: I don't have any idea if Rikku's mom shows up in Final Fantasy X/X-2. I'm just winging it here.)

"Seto…" Mokuba asked, his voice cracked a bit. "Why did Mom and Dad have to die?"

"I don't know, Mokuba…" He replied."Sometimes, I wonder… What if our mother had not had died after you were born? What if our father hadn't had died that day…" Kaiba was beginning to tear up as well. "What if…" He was then aware of what was going on. "Why are we even thinking about the past anyway Mokuba? We need to focus on more important thing like finding those thugs and get back that Transphere." After those words, he stormed off. "Let's go Mokuba…"

"But Seto…I-"

"I SAID LET'S GO, MOKUBA!" He roared. In truth, Kaiba didn't really care where he went, as long as he was away from _there_. He walked out of the Farplane and back to the main area of Guadosalam, trying to hide his tears from Mokuba. He knew how much Mokuba looked up to him, and saw him as the great Seto Kaiba. Not knowing the meaning of the word "fear," the strongest person he knew. The last thing Kaiba wanted or needed was to have his little brother see his hero crying. This was what he always had done over the years. Whatever something had occurred which had an impact on his emotions just like this situation he always tried to shrug it off, acting as if it was no big deal. He had it engraved into his mind: He needed to be strong for both of them:

For Mokuba, and himself.

Mokuba didn't bother to listen to him, as his face said it all. 'He really misses Mom and Dad.' He looked over as the images of his deceased parents faded away. Seto had a point. What if they were still alive? Would he have become the Seto Kaiba who everyone know and, to some people, loathe? Would they have the luxury and riches they fancied today? Would Seto have smiled more often? Would Seto have been happy? As of now, he did the only thing he could do, and that was to follow his brother. As he was about to leave…

_"Mokuba, wait!"_

"Wha?" Mokuba looked back. 'That voice, it sounds familiar.'

_"Mokuba, over here!"___

'That voice…" He looked around as he then saw a blue orb-like device with a gold rim on the edge. Mokuba approached it and it was then when he smiled.

"Tea!?"

"What's going on? Are you okay?" She asked, as the others watched on.

"I'm fine." Mokuba nodded, "But I'm worried about Seto."

_"I know…We saw the whole thing."_

"But how? How could-" Mokuba then looked down at the Commsphere. "You mean you can see everything?"__

_"Everything…"_ Tea confirmed.

"Including Noah? And Gozuburo? And…our parents?"

Tea gave a nod. _"Just hold on, we'll be right there."_

"Okay, I'll go see if I-"

"Mokuba, I said LET'S GO!"

Mokuba looked back and saw an angry Seto Kaiba, arms crossed and all. After he realized that Mokuba wasn't there, he came back to the only place he knew he was at. "Mokuba, I don't know what you're thinking, but I refuse to stay here any long-" Kaiba then noticed the Commsphere. "What's this…?" He took it from Mokuba's hands as he then examined it. "What in the name of-Tea!?"

_"Heheh…Hey Kaiba!"_ Tea nervously replied.

_"Hey Teyi, you were right! He IS cute!"_ A different female voice said from the Commsphere.

_"Rikku!"___

Kaiba growled. Usually, he would take complements and be somewhat flattered, but now wasn't the time as he then began to shake the sphere. "YOU HAVE SOME NERVE! EAVESDROPPING IN A PRIVATE CONVERSATION! WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE YOU!? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES!?"

_"Hey, take it easy Kaiba."_ A third voice replied, this time of a young boy. _"The Commsphere is somewhat sensitive to force."_

_"For him, this IS easy, Shinra."_ Tea sighed.

'Even without those pathetic friends of her, Tea's even more annoying…' Kaiba thought as Mokuba was giggling.

'At least he's not sad anymore.' He mused as Kaiba was death-glaring the Commsphere which was in his hands.

_"Oooh…Ice man!"_ Rikku teased.

Mokuba grabbed the Commsphere from the elder Kaiba. "I think you better pick us up now."

"We are not going anywhere with those geeks!" He replied.

"Oh come on, Seto! We don't really have a choice."

Kaiba sighed, knowing that this was just another debate with Mokuba that he couldn't win. "Oh alright then…"

"That settles it!" Tea then looked towards the front of the bridge, seeing no one. "Where is everyone?"

"Yuna's at home in Besaid, Paine's visiting old friends, and Brother and Buddy are finding new cards in Luca." Shinra briefed.

"Still looking for ways to summon Exodia…" Rikku sighed.

_"Exodia!?__ Did you just say-"_

Tea went back to the Commsphere. "We'll explain later, Kaiba." She then disconnected from the link.

"Exodia? What the hell would they know anything about him?" Kaiba wondered, then blinked as if it was now making sense: It was Tea who probably told them about Exodia. It wasn't to any surprise, as the reason why he created the Transpheres was to expand Duel Monsters from not only in the world they knew, but to others. Besides the money he'd get from universal exportation of Duel Disks, competition was becoming scarce. It's true that he couldn't beat Yugi, but at least he knew he could always beat Joey. Even if he has improved, he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of admitting it to his face. Other than those two, he didn't want to due someone like Rex Raptor or Espa Roba for the millionth time. He then began to wonder. What if Tea managed to bring Duel Monsters to Spira before he could? He then discarded the idea, not thinking that Tea was capable of bringing such game to Spira, let alone having the resources to do so.

"So how are we going to get there?" Tea asked as Rikku then jumped into the pilot's seat.

"Leave it to me!" Rikku announced proudly, "I'll get us to Guadosalam in about two shakes so sit tight and enjoy the ride, you hear?"

"Uh oh…" Shinra muttered.

"What?" Tea asked Shinra in response.

"Rikku is like a teenager driving a car for the first time. Two words: Take cover!"

"Hey!" Rikku complains at that remark. "I _do_ know how to pilot an airship."

"Knowing how to pilot an airship is one thing, but actually doing well is another…"

"I'll show you…" Rikku then pulled back a lever as the aircraft suddenly went into jerk!

"RIKKU!"

"What?" Rikku responded innocently as she then sighed at the glares of Tea and Shinra, which you couldn't see, but you could tell it was there. "Fine, I'll put it on autopilot…"

"You say that they're trading cards where?"

"At the bar, dude! Everyone's trading Duel Monster cards right now!"

Joey couldn't help but overhear this as a smile then formed on his face. There was actually a place where they could trade cards in this new place they landed. Luckily for him, he managed to bring his deck. He rubbed his hands together, feeling that it was the perfect opportunity to beef up his deck, in hoping that it'll finally be strong enough to beat Kaiba. He was then met with slap to the head.

"Hey genius, before you dose off in your fantasy world, we need to get back to finding Tea!" Tristan reminded.

"Yeah Joey, now's not the time to be thinking about your deck." Serenity complained.

"Oh c'mon, you guys!? We've been searchin' for hours!" Joey complained to his sister and friend. "Besides, dis is da perfect chance ta take advantage of da noobs!" He grinned.

"I don't know…"

"C'mon! Dis is da perfect time to beef up our decks!" Joey decided to make a run for it, with Serenity and Tristan following. "Besides, dere's a sucka born every minute!"

"Oh Joey…" Serenity sighed.

"FRYD!? (WHAT!?)" Brother screamed out loud in the bar, as his latest attempt at trading has once again failed miserably. The bar around Luca Stadium has more or less been reduced to a Duel Monsters trading club. Almost everyone who was everyone was trading cards. If they weren't looking for specific Magic or Trap Cards, they were looking for complete sets of Monster such as the Magnet Warriors: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, or their combined form: Valkyrion The Magna Warrior.

"Sorry! I know you have some good cards they would want. But I just couldn't give up Cyber Jar? I know it's weak, but I placed my heart and soul into this deck, ya?" A man who was Brother's would-be trader walked off.

" Licac…(Curses…)" Brother growled as Buddy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you need to try again another day."

"Crid ib. (Shut up.)" Brother seethed as the door then opened. In stepped a blond guy wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, along with a brunette friend, wearing a black sports jacket over a white T-shirt and jeans, and an auburn-haired girl wearing a pink vest over a white shirt and shorts.

"Okay everyone! Joey Wheeler has arrived. If ya looking for a trade, then c'mon down!" Joey shouted, much to Serenity's and Tristan's slight embarrassment.

'Must he _be_ so loud?' He thought.

"You!" Brother walked up to Joey! "Do you have cards specifically designed to make you draw?"

"Hmm…" Joey quickly checked his deck. 'Must have a ritual deck or something…' He figured as he then smiles. "Yep, sure do! I have a Graceful Charity card currently in my deck."

"Aqlammahd!(Excellent!)" Brother exclaimed which caused him to receive a confused look from the three. "Oh…you're not Al-Bhed?"

"An Al-What?" Joey replied, even more confused.

"Forget that!" Brother shrugged it off, wanting to get back on subject. "I'll trade you…" He looked through his deck and managed to pull out three cards. "These for your Graceful Charity Magic card!"

Joey looked at the cards as he then was taken back. The cards Brother had selected were Cyber-Tech Alligator, Summoned Skull, and Buster Blader. 'Oh man…this is too easy! I can't believe he's willin' to give up these cards. Wat is he, nuts?' He sighs, "I'm sorry man. I can't let you do it."

Even Tristan was taken back from what Joey just said. He was already convinced that the reason he wanted to join into the trade was because he wanted to get better cards from the newbies. "Joey! Are you serious?"

"You have three powerful monster cards you could possibly get for a simple magic card." Serenity explained, then she realized. While it wasn't necessarily a good idea to have nothing but high-leveled monster cards in a deck, but it wasn't a good idea not to have them, much less a deck that is built around one monster.

"I just can't let 'em do it, Sis. He'll thank me later for dis."

"Come on! Please!" Brother asks again, almost at the point of begging.

"C'mon, man! What so important dat you need dat card anyway?" Joey asks, confused with Brother's actions.

"I need that card so I can increase my chances of…"

"Of what?" Tristan asked.

Buddy sighed, "You just had to ask…" He said aside to Tristan.

"Summoning…The Almighty Exodia!"

"EXODIA!?" Joey and Tristan responded, both in shock at what Brother just said.

"You mean to tell me that you have _all_ five pieces of Exodia in your deck!?" Joey asked, both shocked and a bit skeptical.

"Exodia? What's the big deal about that card?" Serenity asked which cause Brother to slap his hand onto his forehead in frustration.

'Okay, I like her and all, but how dense can this girl get!?' Tristan thought as he rolled his eyes, refusing to believe that she could've known nothing about the Forbidden One.

"Take cover…" Buddy said aside to Joey and Tristan. "Mr. Cool's gonna make himself look like a fool."

"Sounds like you, Joey: Hotheaded and Dumb!" Tristan slyly stated to his friend, to get a stiff elbow to the ribs.

"Shut up…" He seethed.

"Fryd yna oui, hidc? Exodia'c dra sucd bufanvim suhcdan eh Duel Monster! (What are you, nuts? Exodia's the most powerful monster in Duel Monsters!)" Brother shouted in Serenity's face, only to be met with a fist to the face by Joey.

"DON'T YELL AT MY SISTA, YA JERK!" He screamed.

"Joey stop!" Serenity pleaded. "It's not a big deal, just let it go!"

"I won't have _anyone_ disrespect you, Serenity!" He responded, as Buddy, while he and Tristan held their respective friends back from fighting with each other, couldn't help but be amused: Brother and Joey, while both have similar personalities, were a lot different when it came to little sisters. As he seen how Joey reacted when Brother shouted at Serenity he really cared about her, maybe to the point where he was overprotective. While Brother…let's just say that he'd care more about Yuna than his sister, Rikku.

"Lemme go! Dat jerk's gonna pay!" Joey shouted to Tristan, who had him restrained. He could care less that people were beginning to stare, all he wanted to do is to make Brother pay for screaming at Serenity, let alone in a language she couldn't understand.

Nad ku! (Let go!)" Brother ordered Buddy.

"Sorry, no deal!" He replied as he tightened his hold on him.

Serenity sighed, hoping that Yugi and Bakura were having better luck than they were.

"She's not here…" Yugi said as he and Bakura came out from Luca Stadium.

"She wasn't at the docks either, so where could she be?" Bakura pondered, not really knowing what to do. "Maybe if we saw one of those Blitzball tournaments we've heard so much about it would cheer us up a bit."

"I know, but what about Joey, Tristan, and Serenity? I'm sure Joey and Tristan would enjoy seeing one of those. Maybe after we find Tea we could see one match."

Bakura nodded as he saw near a fountain, a duel between two people just ending as a Vorse Raider just took out a Flame Swordsman, as well as the remaining lifepoints of his "masters" opponent.

"Alright! Who's next!" A girl stands in triumph at her latest victory as she shuffles her cards. "Who's next to face the mighty Nhilda! How about you," She points around to various people, "Or you? Or even you, with the cool earrings!" She points to Yugi.

"Me?" Yugi replied as he then realized that he was still wearing the Putara Earrings. "Oh…" He quickly removes and places them inside his coat pocket.

"Yeah! Do you have a Duel Disk?"

Yugi was fascinated with the duel disk the teen-aged girl was wearing: It was similar to the Duel Disk made by the Kaiba Corporation, but it had a blue orb-like structure as the base with the game board on top. "Yeah…but…" He was trying to think of an excuse to say to her. What was he supposed to say, that his Duel Disk was in Domino, a place where probably no one has heard about?

"It…got broken…" He lied, hoping that she'd buy it.

The girl known as Nhilda sighed as she flipped her blond hair, looking towards her goggled-faced friend who just happened to have a Duel Disk handy. "Ou, mat sa punnuf ouin Duel Disk! (Yo, let me borrow your Duel Disk!)"

"Fryd!? (What!?)"

"Ur lusa uh, ed'c uhmo vun uha sydlr! (Oh come on, it's only for one match!)"

He sighs, "Ugyo… (Okay…)"

"Kuut! (Good!)" Nhilda takes the duel disk and hands it over to Yugi. "Oh, what's wrong we me? I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Nhilda!"

"I'm Yugi!" Yugi introduced.

"I'm Bakura." Bakura said as he greeted the girl. "What were you saying to that gentleman over there?"

Nhilda gave them a "you got to be kidding me" look, "You mean you never heard of the Al Bhed language?"

"To be honest, not really..." Bakura admitted as Yugi nodded in agreement.

Nhilda sighed as she walked over to the bench, opening up her bag as she then pulled out a book which read "Speaking Al-Bhed for Dummies." She gave the book to Bakura. "Here ya go!"

"Thank you," Bakura smiled as he opened up the book and began to read. "Fascinating…"

"So anyway Yugi, are we going to duel or not?" She asked, wanting to get back at the task at hand.

"You got it!" Yugi nodded as he placed on the Duel Disk and switched it on.

"As I am the currently undefeated champion, I'll let you go first." Nhilda grinned as she drew five cards to form her hand.

Yugi nodded as he drew six cards. "I'll play Giant Soldier of Stone in attack mode [1300/2000], plus one card face down!" Yugi placed two cards down as a group of pyroflies gathered as it then forms the Soldier of Stone, plus a view of another card was placed in front of the monster. 'Wow…it's like I'm actually in its presence.'

Bakura also took notice of the monster's summoning. "It appears to be more real on this Duel Disk than it would on one of Kaiba's …" He said to himself.

'Why is he going with a weak monster?' Nhilda wondered as she then shrugged it off.

"I end my turn!" Yugi stated, as it was then Nhilda's turn.

'His loss…' She figured as she drew a card from her deck and smiled. "Okay then…" She placed a card down in the Monster Summoning area of her Duel Disk and another in the Spells/Traps area. "I play Axe Raider in attack mode [1700/1150] and a card face down." The Warrior-Type monster appeared onto the field, awaiting his orders as well as another card in front of it, as Nhilda played another card in the Spells/Traps area… "And to make things more interesting, I play Lightning Sword, raising its attack strength to 2500." The axe which was in Axe Raider's hands was then replaced with the Lightning Sword as Yugi watched on. Lightning Sword, when played, raises the equip monster's attack strength by 800, but also lowered the attack strength of all Aqua-Type monsters. "Now Axe Raider, destroy Yugi's Giant Soldier of Stone." The Axe Raider did as instructed as it went to turn Yugi's Giant Soldier of Stone into rubble…

"Activate Trap Card!" Yugi declared as his face down card flipped, revealing it to be Magic Cylinder, as the Giant Soldier of Stone suddenly held a large Cylinder in its hands, using it as a shield as the Sword made contact, with the cylinder absorbing all of its attack.

"What the-?" Nhilda was in shock.

"You triggered my trap, Magic Cylinder. It absorbs your monster's attack and sends it directly to your life points!" Yugi explained as a burst of energy from the cylinder fired towards Nhilda, hitting her hard as her Lifepoints began to decrease.

Yugi: 8000

Nhilda: 5500

Nhilda just gave a grin, "Yer pretty slick, but you just activated my trap card Attack and Receive."

"Oh no!" Yugi's eyes went into shock, not expecting that to happen.

"That's right! For attacking my lifepoints, you take 500 points of direct damage!" She explained as Yugi felt a slight shock as his life points decreased.

Yugi: 7200

Nhilda: 5500

"I end my turn…" Nhilda concluded.

"I now place my Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode as I place one monster in defense mode!" Yugi stated. "I end my turn."

"You're pretty good, now I activate my Spell Card, Raigeki. Destroying every monster you have on the field!" Nhilda declares as she plays the said card, lighting bolts struck onto Yugi's Giant Soldier of Stone, and the facedown monster which was revealed to be Celtic Guardian, destroying them both. "Now, I sacrifice my Axe Raider to summon Ryu Kokki in attack mode!" Axe Raider vanished as it was then replaced with the Six-Star Zombie creature, Ryu Kokki. [2400/2000] "Now Ryu Kokki, attack Yugi's lifepoints Directly!" Nhilda's Ryu Kokki went for a direct attack on Yugi, which caused his life points to drop.

Yugi: 3200

Nhilda: 5500

Yugi braced himself against the attack as Nhilda ended her turn. 'Who would've thought that these duelists would be as tough, if not tougher than those at home.'

"Oh my…" Bakura watched the duel as Yugi drew a card from his deck, seeing if the card in his hand would be the right one to help him turn this duel around. As of now, it was Nhilda who was controlling this duel as Yugi had no monsters on the field …

"Come on, Seto! Tea and the others should be here any minute!"

"Are you kidding, Mokuba? It's raining out there!" Kaiba complained as he watched his brother run into the rain at the place known as the Thunder Plains. Neither Kaiba brothers were worried as the collaborated towers did their job to keep the lightning from hitting would-be travelers.

"If you get sick, it's going to be your fault!" Kaiba stated.

"Oh Seto, don't worry! What's a little rain going to hurt?"

"Going to hurt!? You'll catch Ammonia and die!" Kaiba warned as then the red Airship known as the Celsius flew over them and began to land. "Well it's about time…" He muttered as the airship finished its landing sequence.

The door to the deck then opened as Tea jumped down to great the Kaiba brothers. "Hey guys!"

"Tea!" Mokuba ran up to her and gave her an emotional hug.

She hugged back, "You don't know how happy I am to see you guys."

"Same here." Mokuba giggled.

"Hmph…" Kaiba scoffed as he then grinned, after taking a look at Tea. "Nice outfit, Dork."

Tea looked down at her Thief outfit and seethed as she blushed.

"It looks nice on you, Tea." Mokuba complemented.

"You're brother's not too bad himself." Rikku said to Mokuba as she took the time to check out Kaiba, or more precisely his sleeveless trench coat. "Nice threads, especially with the coat. I mean, it gives the impression that there's a breeze blowing against ya, but it's not really there. Either it's made out of some flexible metal or that's some strong starch you put on that thing." She grinned slyly as she looked towards Tea. "Well, aren't ya going to introduce us, Teyi?"

Kaiba burst out laughing at Tea's nickname. "'Teyi?' That's rich!"

Tea glared at Kaiba. "Kaiba, Mokuba, this is Rikku. Rikku, this kid next to me is Mokuba Kaiba, and laughing boy over there is Seto Kaiba, who is 'Cold,' 'Cruel,' and therefore hopeless."

"How awfully kind of you Tea, I didn't know you cared." Kaiba replied sarcastically.

"Soo…" Rikku began to ask Kaiba, wanting to change the subject. "What's this about your parents?" The only thing her question got her was a death glare from Kaiba.

"That's none of your concern. And by the way, where do you get off setting up cameras to spy on people and their private moments?" He snapped.

"You were at the Farplane, right?"

"Yes…so what?"

"You're not really seeing the dead. The Pyroflies just take form of the images of yer lost loved ones." Rikku explained.

"Hmm…" Kaiba pondered. It was all making sense. Gozaburo and Noah both lost their bodies long ago, but their minds were then erased after the whole "Virtual World II" incident. And his mother did die when Mokuba was born as sometime later his father disappeared. Thus he and Mokuba were sent to an orphanage.

"So you mean that the Pyroflies there takes the images of the dead people in our minds and projects an image of them?" Mokuba asked.

"Yep!" Rikku comfirmed with a nod.

"Enough of this hocus-pocus nonsense. Let's go, Mokuba." Kaiba ordered as he walked towards the airship, "My coat's getting soggy."

Mokuba followed as Rikku sighed. "Is he _always_ like this?" She asked Tea.

"Believe me, he can be a lot worse." She replied.

"I see…but he's still cute, though!" She grinned.

"Rikku…" Tea sighed as Rikku noticed that the Kaiba brothers were walking inside of the Celsius.

"Hey, wait up! You're going to fast!" Rikku shouted as she raced towards them, followed by a slightly-embarrassed Tea.

"You are so naive…" She finished as she shook her head in disappoval.

* * *

Here's the situation: Yugi's now in the losing end of a duel with an Ah Bhed girl as Kaiba and Mokuba have met up with Tea. Meanwhile, Joey and Brother are just moments away from ripping each other apart. What will happen next? You'll have to wait til' next Chapter.  
  
Preview For Next Chapter:

"Yeah, it's not like they're working for the LeBlanc Syndicate!" Rikku stated, which caught Kaiba's attention.

"LeBlanc Syndicate!?" He exclaimed. "You actually know those fools?"

"Yeah…they're a big Sphere Hunting faction…and our biggest rivals…" Rikku explained.

"Sphere Hunt-" Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me that you're another one of those Sphere Hunter morons…"

"What are you talking about Kaiba?" Tea asked.

Mokuba explained, "We had a run-in with Logos and Ormi back in Domino, which led to us being here. One moment Seto's trying to protect me from being shot, thanks to his bullet-proof coat, and the next we're in some Inn at Guadosalam. And the worse thing is, they have out ticket home!"

"Home? What do you mean when you say 'our ticket home!?'" Tea was now suspicious as Kaiba looked towards his brother.

"Mokuba don't…" He muttered.

Be back for Chapter 9: Reuinion Part 2


	9. Reunio Part Two: On the Deck of The Cels...

Thank you for reviewing.

**Magicman/Smokegirl** – I checked the last chapter and I did realize a few of my errors in the duel. When Nhilda activated her Attack and Receive Trap Card, Yugi should've lost 700 Life Points, not 500, as well as a few calculation errors. Thanks for the suggestion about Brother. However, he might get something else as well. Sorta like a back-up plan. I'll give you three guesses on what I'm talking about. And as for the Kaiba/Rikku situation. I'm planning on a sequel to this which, as much as a spoiler this may be, it may be centered around those two.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy X-2

**Chapter 9:** Reunion 2 - On the Deck of The Celsius! Duel For Blue Eyes

* * *

"Hmph…I've seen better…" Kaiba examined the hallways of the Gullwings' airship, The Celsius, as he then sighed. "How long have you been here, Tea?" He asked coldly.

"About a day now, to be exact..." Tea responded as she took out a Garment Grid and pressed a button. After a flash of light, her "Thief" clothes were replaced with her gunner outfit.

Mokuba's eyes went wide. "Wow! You instantly changed clothes! How'd you do that?" Even Kaiba was interested in how Tea managed to change her attire from a revealing one to a slightly more-conservative style of dress.

"Should we tell them?" Rikku whispered to Tea, who was already in debate with herself with the decision.

She shrugged, "Why not? Besides, what harm could they do, anyway?"

"Yeah, it's not like they're working for the LeBlanc Syndicate!" Rikku stated which caught Kaiba's attention.

"LeBlanc Syndicate!?" He exclaimed. "You actually know those fools?"

"Yeah…they're a big Sphere Hunting faction…and our biggest rivals…" Rikku explained.

"Sphere Hunt-" Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me that you're another one of those Sphere Hunter morons…"

"What are you talking about Kaiba?" Tea asked.

Mokuba explained, "We had a run-in with Logos and Ormi back in Domino, which led to us being here. One moment Seto's trying to protect me from being shot, thanks to his bullet-proof coat, and the next we're in some Inn at Guadosalam. And the worse thing is, they have out ticket home!"

"Home? What do you mean when you say 'our ticket home!?'" Tea was now suspicious as Kaiba looked towards his brother.

"Mokuba don't…" He muttered.

"Seto developed a new version of the transphere than the one he gave you which instead of transporting you to a random dimension, it would open a gateway to wherever you think of." Mokuba said, as the sound of Kaiba slapping his hand onto his forehead in frustration was heard.

'There goes my master plan…' He sighed.

"You mean to tell me that you had another Transphere in the works, Kaiba?" Tea asked, not too happy.

"LIKE I TOLD YOU IN DOMINO, THE SPHERE I GAVE YOU WAS A PROTOTYPE TEA!" Kaiba screamed, obviously stressed out, as he sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have a shower, would you?" He felt that the hot water from the shower would do him good.

The sliding door opened as Shinra walked towards them. "What's all the screaming about?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it, Shinra." Rikku assured. "It's just that one of guests is a little stressed out." A glare came towards her way from Kaiba, as if to say "You think!?" as she then continues, "A-hem…Shinra, this is Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, the guys from the Commsphere at the Farplane. They're Teyi's friends.

"Friends? Hmph…" Kaiba and Tea both said, not exactly excited from hearing Rikku's statement.

"Speaking of which, the Commsphere at the Farplane is having problems. Therefore, it is no longer available to use."  
  
"That's odd…" Rikku pondered. "It was just working fine about an hour ago…unless…" She then eyed Kaiba.

"What now?" Kaiba responded coldly.

"Kaiba…" Tea asked, in a warning type of voice. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with this, would you?" Kaiba didn't respond, thus supporting her suspicions.

"Seto you didn't…" Mokuba said with disappointment and shame in his voice. Shortly after the link was cut-off, He and Kaiba were leaving the Farplane to the Rendezvous point, but Kaiba told him that he'd catch up, as he wanted to see something. It appeared that he did want to see something alright: The destruction of the Commsphere.

"Yeah Seto, don't tell me you busted Shinra's Com-" Rikku was cut off by Kaiba.

"First of all, only a member of my family can call me by my first name!" He snapped. Kaiba told people that he only allowed a few people who were worthy enough to call him Seto, Mokuba included of course. But in truth, ever since being adopted by Gozabouro, he felt that "Seto" longer existed. Only "Kaiba" remained. "And second of all, yes I did bust your precious Commsphere! But what gives you the right to invade someone's privacy? What gives you the right to invade into someone's deepest, darkest secrets? I don't know about your laws here in Spira, but where I come from, we have laws against such low-class behavior. It's called invasion of privacy!"

"Well I have a News Flash for you, Seto Kaiba!" Tea snapped back. "The Farplane wasn't private property, and is considered a public place! So basically, unless you were inside your house, what we did was perfectly legal! Meaning that your secrets were fair game, but you wouldn't know anything about playing fair Seto Kaiba, would you!" Tea was beginning to feel as if she was channeling back to Duelist Kingdom…

Tea was consoling a teary-eyed Yugi, who had loss the duel and the only chance he had of rescuing his Grandpa from Pegasus. He had just stopped his Celtic Guardian from attacking a horribly-weakened Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, which would win him the duel. However, it would've cost Kaiba's life, as he was standing on the edge, trying to get Yugi to surrender.

"It's okay…" She said to the emotionally-crushed Yugi, almost teary-eyed as well. "You did the right thing! You could never hurt anyone. Even it cost your only chance of rescuing your Grandpa. He wouldn't have wanted it that way."

"Well I guess he got what he wanted."

Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura looked toward Kaiba's direction, with his briefcase in hand, as he didn't appear to have any sympathy for Yugi's loss. "If Yugi really cared about his Grandpa, he would've done what had to be done. And then it would be him entering the castle, not me."

"He spared you!" Tea snapped at Kaiba. It was bad enough that Kaiba had to pull that stunt to force Yugi to lose, but for him to be so cold about it was too much. "He showed you compassion, which is more than you deserve!"

"He lost the game!" Kaiba said, feeling indifferently.

"The game? The game!? Yugi may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but he hasn't lost his heart. Not like you, Seto Kaiba!" Tears began to pour from Tea's eyes as she tried to not let her emotions get the best of her. "You spend all you time with your machines that you've forgotten what being human is all about! So what if Yugi loses his only chance to get into the castle, he'll always have friends who'll stand by him. And what do you have Seto Kaiba? What do you have at the end of the day? Tell me!"

"I have all that I need." Kaiba snatched the starchips as he made his way towards the Pegasus' Castle, the place of the Duelist Kingdom finals.

"Keep walkin!' Yugi's twice the man that you'll ever be!" Joey said towards Kaiba's direction as Tea just watched. She knew that Kaiba's agenda was rescue Mokuba who was kidnapped by Pegasus, but he didn't had to be such a jerk about it. He said that he's changed, but as the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words" and his proved that he hasn't changed at all.

"When's the last time I didn't play fair, Tea?" Kaiba asked, but then held up his hand, knowing that she'd bring up the Duelist Kingdom incident. "Don't answer that…"

Tea glared at Kaiba, now wishing that they never had found them…well…she wouldn't mind if she found Mokuba. Kaiba has just arrived on the Airship and he was already irritating her. It was a wonder how someone so kind like Mokuba could ever be related to someone like him, even if Gozaburo did treated him like a slave.

"Loser…"

"Jerk…"

"Moron…"

"Tung… (Dork…)"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Brother and Joey both turned around and shouted at each other.

"Here we go again…" Tristan and Buddy both said with a sigh.

"I AUGHTA KNOCK OUT YER TEETH!" Joey snapped.

"FAMM E'S KUEHK DU NEB OUIN DRNUYD UID! (WELL I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!)" Brother responded in the same manner.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT DA HELL YA JUST SAID, BUT I KNOW IT'S A REASON FOR ME TA-"

"ENOUGH, WILL YOU BOTH SHUT THE HELL UP!?"

Brother and Joey looked towards Serenity who was having a migraine.

"You both keep on fighting, and for what? Just over some misunderstanding!?" She explained to them both. "Joey, I know you were concerned about me! But I'm not some little girl who can't defend herself! And besides, I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"About time she told Joey not to be so freaking overprotective…" Tristan sighed, hopefully having a better chance with getting together with Serenity than Duke Devlin, without Joey to get in the way.

"Hmph!" Brother stood in triumph, believing that he had won this little argument. Even Joey's own sister was on his side and she believed that he was in the wrong.

Serenity then turned to Brother. "And you, Mohawk Boy! So what if I don't know about the unstoppable Exodia? I'm still new to Duel Monsters! I'm trying to learn about them as fast as I can so excuse me if I don't know that much. In fact, I've only dueled once so just lay off!"

"But…I…"

"She does have a point…" Buddy said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oui crid ib! (You shut up!)" Brother hissed at his friend as he then sighed, realizing that he was as much at fault for the situation as Joey. "I'm sorry…I sometimes have a bad temper…"

"Heh…join da club!" Joey snickered, "I guess I was a bit sensitive when it came to my sis..."

"Don't you think that she can take care of herself? Jeez, man. How's she going to live and learn through life if you keep babying her?" Brother asked, much to the relief of both Tristan and Serenity, who also felt this way.

"I know that I could be a little overprotective, but c'mon! Don'cha have a sista who you care about?" Joey asked, which caused Brother rub his head.

"Well…yeah…but…"

"Brother's not exactly a candidate for 'Brother of the Year.'" Buddy stated much to Brother's dismay.

"Tu oui ryja du damm dras ajanodrehk? (Do you have to tell them everything?)" Brother hastily whispered to Buddy.

"Kad y kneb! (Get a grip!)" He retorted.

"Umm…Tris, any idea what they're saying?" Joey asked aside to his friend as he watched the two Al Bhed guys argue in their native tongue.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not exactly bilingual Joey." Tristan replied. "But when it came to the subject on his sister, he's became so defensive."

"It's not like he beats her or anything…right?" Serenity asked, slightly worried about the situation between Brother and his sister.

"I doubt it, Sis. He doesn't look like the type of guy who'd hit a woman…" Joey declared.

"That's nice…" Serenity nodded, thanking god that she and Joey lived with their mom instead of their alcoholic abusive father. "Mom was afraid you'd turned out to be just like-"

"Never…compare me to him…" Joey hissed at his sister.

"Soo…what do you have to hide friend?" Tristan asked the two, wanting to change the subject he was listening from family violence.

"None of your beeswax." Brother declared.

"Brother doesn't exactly live up to his name. In fact, he cares more about his cousin than her...maybe a little more than he should" Buddy said the last part with a grin.

"Hey!" Brother snapped. "Who wouldn't be enamored with Yuna's grace and beauty?"

"Dude, that's incest…well to a degree…" Tristan exclaimed, disgusted. And he thought possible cousin-cousin relationships could occur on the Jerry Springer show.

"You'd be willing to do some incest too if you had a cousin like her!" Brother said, but then looked clueless. "What's incest?"

"And they say that I'm dumb..." Joey rolled his eyes, having overheard Brother, Buddy, and Tristan's comments, along with Serenity who looked on, confused.

"What is incest, Joey?" She asked innocently, which caused her brother to sigh. Apparently Brother wasn't the only one who didn't know what Incest was.

'She can't be this clueless…' Joey thought, thinking that their mom during the time that she and Serenity lived away from Domino must've really kept her sheltered…_too_ sheltered.

"No, my Curse of Dragon!" Yugi called out as his Curse of Dragon disappeared from the field, thanks to Nhilda's Man-Eater Bug's special ability which allowed on monster card to be destroyed. Nhilda placed a face-down card into the spell/trap zone. Things have become worse in the duel as Yugi's life points had dropped to 2800 while Nhilda still had 5500. Bakura, still trying to learn the Al-Bhed language, still supported Yugi despite the events which occurred.

"It's my move…" Yugi drew a card as a smile then grew on his face. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Curse of Dragon. I then place two cards face down as I now play Polymerization, which I'll use to fuse Curse of Dragon with Gaia the Fierce Knight to form Gaia the Dragon Champion [2600/2100]." The Revived Curse of Dragon and Gaia were then fused together as the fierce knight was now on top of Curse of Dragon's back.

"Gaia the Dragon Champion!" Yugi ordered, "Attack Nhilda's Ryu Kokki!" On top of the dragon, Gaia came Directly at the Zombie beast as it then destroyed it, as Nhilda shielded herself from her monster's destruction as her life points dropped…

Yugi: 2800

Nhilda: 5300

Nhilda began to smile as Gaia the Dragon Champion disappeared as it returned to Yugi's deck. "When you declared your attack, you activated my trap card, Begone, Knave! Now every time our monsters cause damage to each other's life points, they'll get returned to their respective decks. Just like your Dragon Champion."

Yugi sighed, seeing that there isn't anything more he can do, as he had no choice but to end his turn.

Nhilda smiled as she drew her next card. 'After I play this, there's no way he can win…' She thought as she then looked towards her opponent. "I now summon The Immortal of Thunder [1500/1300] in attack mode, which will increase my life points by 3000!" She announced as an aged blue-skinned man appeared

Yugi: 2800

Nhilda: 7300

However, Nhilda's smile changed into shock as the Immortal of Thunder falls into a hole as Yugi grinned.

"You activated my trap card, Nhilda. Trap hole, which instantly destroys any monster with over 1000 attack points, including The Immortal of Thunder. And since it was sent from the field to the graveyard, you lose 5000 life points as part of his special effect!"

Yugi: 2800

Nhilda: 2300

"Fyo du ku, Yugi! (Way to go, Yugi!)" Bakura cheered, which earned him an impressed look from Nhilda, but a confused look from Yugi. "I just congratulated you in Al Bhed! You should learn it."

'Intresting…' Yugi thought as Nhilda was becoming aggravated.

"Just get back to the duel!" She snapped. She was beginning to lose hope that she could win, and if she was going to lose, it would be best to just get it over with.

"As you wish…" Yugi sighed as he drew a card from his deck. 'Just the card to end the duel…' He said to himself. "Since whatever monster I use to attack will just be returned to my hand at the end of the turn, I must make the best of this turn." He then looked at Nhilda. "You've dueled well, Nhilda. But it ends now. First, I play my spell card Emblem of Dragon Destroyer, which allows me to place one Buster Blader into my hand." He grabbed his deck as he then placed the Warrior-Type monster in his hand, then reshuffled his deck. "I now play another Polymerization card as I will now fuse Buster Blader with Dark Magician to form Dark Paladin!

Buster Blader and the Dark Magician both appeared on the field as they were merge together into the supreme magician knight, Dark Paladin [2900/2400].

"Dark Paladin's special ability is to gain 500 attack points for every Dragon type monster on the field and in each of our graveyards. And with Curse of Dragon in my graveyard, Dark Paladin's attack raises to 3400!"

"So…that means…" Nhilda knew it was for sure: She was going to experience her first loss. And of all people someone who didn't have a duel disk or knowing anything about the Al-Bhed language. In fact, she didn't, dare to say it, _think_ that he knew _anything_ about Spira.

"Dark Paladin, attack Nhilda's lifepoints directly!" The permanently-fused Yugi and Yami ordered as the Magician Knight unleashed a direct attack on Nhilda, reducing what was left of her lifepoints…

Yugi: 2800

Nhilda: 0

The Duel Disks were then deactivated as the Dark Paladin disappeared into pyroflies. Yugi removed his deck as he then took off his duel disk. "Here Nhilda. Take your duel disk back. That was a great duel!"

"I'll say." Nhilda complemented as she received the Duel Disk Yugi borrowed. "Man, I almost had you! Until you managed to summon Dark Paladin…"

"Dark Paladin is a strong card with a very powerful special ability. But it's one of the cards that can only be Fusion Summoned." Yugi explained.

"Way to go, Yugi!" Bakura congratulated as he had the book in hand. "That was an excellent Duel!" He then looked at Nhilda who he then gave the book back to her. "You did well too, Nhilda. You should enter tournaments!"

Nhilda smiled at Bakura. "Thanks." Then looks him over... "Y'know…you're kinda cute!"

"Uhh…thanks…" He blushed as Yugi nudged.

"Thanks for the duel anyways, but we're looking for our friend." He said, wanting to get back to the reason why there were there in the first place.

"Right…have you seen a girl with brown hair that reaches to her lower neck?" Bakura asked. "She has blue eyes and she usually wears skirts and platform shoes." He described Tea to Nhilda who just shrugged.

"Nope, haven't seen anyone who fits that description." She apologized to the two. "The only one who remotely does is Lady Yuna, and we hardly ever see her around here."

"Lady Yuna?" The boys responded at the same time, slightly puzzled.

"Please don't tell me you guys have never heard of the High Summoner." Nhilda responded, slightly annoyed. 'Not knowing about the Al-Bhed language is one thing, but not knowing about the High Summoner who defeated Sin was too much.' She thought.

"I'm sorry…but we're not from around here." Yugi explained.

"Obviously…" She muttered under her breath. "So where are you guys from."

"We're from the city of Domino." Bakura answered. "It's a long story, actually…"

Tea and Rikku were in a middle of a duel as Mokuba and Shinra watched as the Celsius flew on Auto-Pilot. Destination: Besaid. After they've managed to pick up Yuna, they were planning on going to Luca to pick up Brother and Buddy.

"I now activate my Trap Card, Solemn Wishes, which will increase my Life Points by 500 each time I draw. And you'll know what happens when that happens, thanks to my Fire Princess' special ability, right?"

"You get to inflict 500 Life Points worth of damage?" Rikku responded.

"Precisely..." Tea grinned.

"Why aren't they using the Duel Disks?" Mokuba asked Shinra.

"To use them they'd have to be on the deck, which is the only place on the ship where they could use them without worrying about space issues. And besides, no one feels like going out on the deck right now, so they're dueling the old-fashioned way…or so I've heard." Shinra explained.

"I see. But this is the old fashioned way. My big brother was the first one to ever come up with the Duel Disk back home." Mokuba looked back at the duel, then asked. "Does it get hot in that suit, Shinra?"

"Sometimes…"

"It's all over Teyi!" Rikku declared. "I play Tribute to the Doomed, which I'll place-"

"RIKKU!" The voice of Seto Kaiba boomed from the door between the Cabin and the bathroom.

"Be right back." Rikku said as she rushed over to the door. "Yeeess?"

"Do you really expect me to wear this? Because…"

"Because what, Kaiby?"

Kaiba decided to ignore the "Kaiby" comment from Rikku as he finished. "Because this outfit's…how should I put this…stupid!"

Rikku's eyes went wide. "Let me take a look at-"

"No! Don't you dare look with those foul eyes of yours!" He shouted as he locked the door, then sighed. "Where did you put my clothes?"

"Hmm…they're being dried out." Rikku chirped. "Now if you excuse me, I have a duel to get back to!"

'How the hell did Tea and those geeks managed to bring Duel Monsters to this place is beyond me!' Kaiba thought as he looked at his 'outfit.' Just as his luck, he not only was wearing a stupid outfit, but it wasn't even regular clothes. In fact, he had to dress up in a mascot costume, which apparently had to be, what Rikku and Tea called, "The Gullwings' Prized Garment." He couldn't believe this was happening. Him, Seto Kaiba, was reduced to dressing up like a mascot in a world where he's not the richest and most powerful man in Domino but a mere…ugh…commoner. And the worse part of it all: Tea knew Yugi, and even worse, Joey. Yugi, at least wouldn't had made a big deal, but for Joey…let's just say that he'd be having a field day at this. Fortunately, he wouldn't find either of them here. Good riddance.

"As I was saying, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted…" Rikku narrowed her eyes at the door Kaiba was behind. "I play Tribute to the Doomed, which I send one card from my hand to my graveyard, but not until I choose one of your monsters. And since Fire Princess is the only one on your side of the field, she's outta there!

"So you took my Fire Princess out, but I still have 2950 Life Points while you still only have 1400." Tea reminded as she placed her Fire Princess card in her graveyard card pile. "And next turn, I'm going to have 3450 Life Points."

"Sorry, Tea…" Rikku apologized. "There isn't going to be a next turn, because now I play Monster Reborn! And who do I plan to bring back? The monster card I just sent to the graveyard! My Blue Eyes White Dragon!" She said as she bought back the same card she just placed in her Graveyard pile into her hand.

"BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!?" Both Mokuba and Kaiba, who opened the door and stuck his head out, replied at Rikku's statement, as she placed the said card on the board.

"Looks like I win!" Rikku chirped.

"Rikku…" Mokuba asked. "How did you get a Blue Eyes?"

"Well…let's just say that I had first dibs at the cards." She explained, as Kaiba then grew an evil smile on his face. Perhaps he could form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon again after all, and Rikku would be the key…

"Heh heh heh! Check it out!" Joey showed his hand of card he received from trade: Summoned Skull, Meteor Dragon, Meteor Black Dragon, The A. Forces, United We Stand, and Mage Power! "Today's my lucky day!"

"Heh…not bad, but get a load of this!" Tristan smiled as he held up his new cards: 2 Giant Orcs, 2 Second Goblins, and two Axe of Despairs.

"Finally, something that'll replace your Goblin Attack Force cards." Joey smirked as Serenity just smiled. "If ya play them right, you can avoid losing your Giant Orcs just after they're summoned."

"And now you can summon Black Skull Dragon without Yugi to help you!" Tristan responded back.

Brother, meanwhile had a huge smile on his face. He looked at the cards as he smiled. In his hands were Painful Choice, as well as Backup Soldier and the card he came to get: Graceful Charity. He also had two cards which hid behind the first three. "Rikku fuh'd payt sa hud fedr draca lyntc eh so talg. Exodia femm pnehk ran du ran ghaac! Ran yht ran Blue Eyes!" (Rikku won't beat me now with these cards in my deck. Exodia will bring her to her knees! Her and her Blue Eyes!)" He said to himself.

"I know that you feel that you now have the tools you need to win, but take it easy…" Buddy said to his friend.

"Silence!" Brother responded. "Rikku needs to be put into her place, and now I have the cards to do it!"

"Hey…guys!?" Joey called out to them, but they, or Buddy rather was too busy in bringing Brother down to Earth.

Suddenly, Tristan couldn't take it anymore. "Hey! Blonde guys!" This caught the attention of not only Brother and Buddy, but a few more Al Bhed as well

as Joey(Hey, he's blonde too!) "I don't mean to pride, but we're looking for someone."

Serenity added. "She had brown hair, blue eyes, has a tattoo-"

"Tattoo!?" Joey and Tristan responded in shock of what Serenity has just said.

"Yes guys, she has a tattoo." She confirmed.

"Tea never told us she gotta tattoo!" Joey stated.

"Yeah, I thought we were closer than that." Tristan added.

"That's because she felt that you guys would've made a big deal about it." Serenity explained. "I mean, let's be honest Joey. You make a big deal if Tristan actually calls me."

"She got a point there, Joey." Tristan agreed as expected.

"Tea?" Brother asked. "You're looking for Dancing Goddess?" Ever since Tea danced in Yuna's place on top of the Celsius, Brother had kindly gave her the nickname "Dancing Goddess."

"Dancing Goddess?" The three young people from Domino replied in unison.

"Ignore him." Buddy pushed him aside. "So you're looking for Tea, am I correct?"

"Yeah…well us and our other friends, Yugi and Bakura." Tristan explained.

Brother, meanwhile, looked at Serenity with a bit of resent now that he knows who they are. During Tea's time with the Gullwings, Brother has developed somewhat of a crush on his "Dancing Goddess," but still would choose Yuna over her. Like with his crush on Yuna, Rikku was quick to stop him from even remotely flirting with her. Usually it was with a kick to the ribs or, if it came down to it, a kick to the…y'know.

"Cu oui'na dra rusa fnalgehk pedlr fru rind Tea…" (So you're the home wrecking bitch who hurt Tea …)" He muttered, which lead to a glance from Serenity. Apparently he knew about what happened which lead to Tea leaving Domino, or so he believed. "Oh nothing, I was just practicing my Al Bhed…"

"Uh oh…" Buddy muttered, having heard what Brother said. Then tugged Joey close to him.

"Take it easy, Man!" He protested, straitening the shirt Buddy tugged on.

"Friend, I think you'd better make sure your sister keeps her distance from Brother."

"What's that? It's not like as if he…" Joey then realized, or so he believes. "Good call. I already have Romeo over there to deal with." He points to Tristan.

"No, it's not that he's in love with her, it's…" Buddy decided not to tell him about Brother's newfound hatred for Serenity. "Now you're looking for Tea, right?"

"Right, but we gotta get our other friends first!" Joey reminded as he look towards his friends. "Tristan, Serenity, let's find Yuge and Bakura!"

"Right behind you!" Tristan followed, along with Serenity who was oblivious to Brother's glare.

"You coming?" Buddy asked his fellow Al Bhed.

"Yeah, I'm coming…" Brother muttered as they both tried to catch up to the three.

Back at the fountain near Luca Stadium, Yugi and Bakura sat down on a bench, pondering which step they should take next.

"So Yugi, we've looked everywhere for her. Maybe she's not here." Bakura stated.

"She's here. She just has to be here!" Yugi assured. "It's like I have this feeling that I can sense she's nearby…"

"You and Tea must be really close, like the bond you and your Yami had before the…incident."

"Maybe…" Yugi sighed, "I just hope she's okay." He had a strong feeling that Tea was in Spira. But now he's not so sure. So far, no one has even seen Tea, let alone made contact with her. Perhaps she was in another world.

"She's fine, Yugi!" Bakura assured, hoping to cheer up his friend. "I'm sure of it…" Suddenly, few voices shouting caught his, as well as Yugi's attention.

"Hey Yuge!" A familiar Brooklyn-Accented voice shouted as three of their friends, as well as two new ones, came towards their way.

Yugi and Bakura ran up to them, smiling. "Joey, Tristan, Serenity!"

"What's up, guys?"

"I think we've finally found Tea!" Tristan explained.

Yugi blinked, "Really Tristan?"

"Dat's right!" Joey nodded with a grin as he pointed to their new Al Bhed friends. "These guys just happened to met Tea! Brother and Buddy offered a lift on their Airship."

"It's no problem! We're glad to lend you guys a hand!" Buddy explained.

"That's right! After all, as the leader of the Gullwings, any friend of Tea's is a friend of mine!" Brother stated as he then glanced at Serenity as he muttered under his breath, "Yht yh ahaso uv Tea ec yh ahaso ec seha! (And an enemy of Tea is an enemy of mine!)"

Bakura's eyes went wide as he managed to overhear Brother. "Oh my…" He said to himself. Even though he only managed to partially learn the Al Bhed Language during Yugi's duel, it was easy to figured out what Brother said wasn't exactly positive.

"What is it, Bakura?" Tristan asked, but Buddy stepped in.

"It's nothing." He assured. After seeing how Joey got riled up over the most trivial things when it came to situations which involved his sister, a potential death threat to Serenity was the last thing he needed to hear.

"So, about this airship…" Serenity began to ask. "How big is it?"

"Heh…just see for yourself." Buddy smiled. He had put great pride into the Celsius and believed that there was no other Airship like it. He began to use his comlink to contact Rikku, Tea, Shinra, whoever was on board. "Buddy to Celsius! Buddy to Celsius, can you read me?"

_"We read you Buddy!"_ Replied a feisty, female voice. It was Rikku. _"What's up? You guys got what you need."_

"That…and a bit more." Buddy glanced at Yugi and co.

_"Okay, we'll be in Luca in about two-"_

_"The hell we are!"_ Replied a cold, male voice, but somewhat familiar to Yugi and co, cutting Rikku off. _"We can pick up your pathetic friends later! Right now we're going back to Guadosalam! I have a score to settle with those Syndicate Fools!"_

"Waitaminute…" Joey blinked, much to his or anyone else's (in Yugi's group) disbelief. "Was that-"

"No way, it couldn't be!" Tristan responded as well.

_"Look! We can go get the sphere later!"  
  
"NO! We're going to Guadosalam, **now**! On the way there, we're going to have duel!"_

_"Hey! Wait a second! Just who do-"_

_"You can't deny my challenge Rikku! Duel me, so I can win your Blue Eyes White Dragon!"_

Brother and Buddy watched on in amusement with Rikku and, apparently, her guest as Yugi and the others didn't know what to be shocked about more: Seto Kaiba in Spira, or the fact that there was another Blue Eyes White Dragon other then the four back in Domino.

_"Alright…let's compromise: We'll go to Luca, but on the way there, we duel!"_ Kaiba decided.

_"Hmm…sound fair, but why should I accept your challenge in the first place?"_ Rikku asks, as everyone listened on the comlink.

_"Because…how would you like to have another Blue Eyes White Dragon?"_

_"What? You mean…"_

_"That's right! We are going to duel on the deck of this airship, using your own duel disks."_

_"Don't do it Rikku!"_ Another female voice spoke, but in a warning tone. This voice confirmed to Yugi, as well as his friends, that they've found who they were looking for. It was Tea, who was apparently warning Rikku not to accept the duel. _"Trust me you're making a big mistake."_

_"Stay out of this, __Gardner__!"_

_"Don't do it Rikku. If he beats you, he'll just rip your Blue Eyes into two."_

_"Why would he do something like that, Teyi?"_

"Teyi?" Joey had a confused look on his face, but shrugged. "It could've been worse…"

_"Because Kaiba's so much of an egotistical spoiled jerk that he wouldn't want **his** monster used against him, isn't that right Kaiba? That's the reason why you ripped Yugi's Grandpa's Blue Eyes, wasn't it?"_

_"So I made a mistake. Sue me! I was…I didn't-look, just accept the duel Rikku!"_

_"Alright alright, fine!"_

_"Wise choice…but then again.__ Maybe it isn't…"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"After the duel's over, you're Blue Eyes will be in my deck." _Kaiba said in his trademark vindictive tone.__

_"Oh we'll see Mr. Unstoppable."_ Rikku retorted, as everyone back in Luca had a mixed reaction. Buddy was intrigued with the duel, as Yugi, Serenity, and Tristan was worried about Rikku, knowing what cards Kaiba had in his deck. Joey hoped that Rikku would beat Kaiba and vice-versa in Brother's case.

_"The duel will begin, as soon as I get out of this damn Mugo outfit."_

_"Moogle outfit.__ But come on! You look so adorable…"_

_"Look, just bring me my clothing!"_

Joey's eyes went wide as smile then grew wide on his face. "Kaiba in an embarassing outfit? This I gotta see! Oh, I can't wait to get on him about that…"

"It must be very humiliating for Kaiba. I should've brought a camera." Tristan commented, which caused a sighs from Serenity, Yugi, and Bakura.

As the Celsius was now en route to Luca, Kaiba and Rikku were in the elevator which would take them to the deck, each with the duel disks on.

"So…" Rikku began. "Good luck! Sorry that I'm gonna have to take your Blue Eyes."

"For one, luck's for 2nd-rate amateurs. And second, if there's anyone who's going to gain a Blue Eyes White Dragon, it's going to be me." Kaiba replied coldly as the elevator then arrived to deck level.

Kaiba and Rikku then got in position as they then activated the duel disks, each having 8000 Life Points. There wasn't any need of an audience since, in Kaiba's arrogant opinion, this duel wasn't going to last long.

"Let's Duel" They both shouted as they each drew five cards.

"Amateurs first..." Kaiba stated as he proceeded to think up a quick strategy.

"Alright then…" Rikku smiled as she drew one card. "I'll place one monster faced down in Defense Position, as well as two cards in defense mode, then I end my turn." A card materialized on the field in defense position as two other facedown cards behind.

'Typical amateur move…" Kaiba retorted as he then drew a card. "I place two cards face down as now I play Dark Zebra [1800/400] in attack mode." The pyroflies merged together as a Zebra with a unicorn-like horn on top of its head then appeared on the field. "Now Dark Zebra, attack Rikku's facedown monster!" Kaiba ordered as Dark Zebra charged at and destroyed the facedown monster, which was revealed to be Cyber Jar [900/900] as Rikku smiled.

"Thanks Setty!" She chirped as Dark Zebra was then destroyed. "Now we-"

"I know what Cyber Jar's special ability does, you fool! We now draw 5 cards and if they're level-4 monsters we placed them on the field. And don't call me 'Seto,' much less 'Setty!'" Kaiba interrupted, irritated as he drew 5 cards but placed the following in attack position: Vorse Raider [1900/1200], X-Head Cannon [1800/1500], Y-Dragon Head [1500/1600], Z-Metal Tank [1500/1300]. He also placed another card in defense mode.

"Now it's my turn." Rikku drew 5 cards, but wasn't as luck as Kaiba, as she placed two monster cards faced down in defense position. "Man…"

"Just what I thought…" Kaiba smirked. "There's not a card in your deck that can beat me. Now Vorse Raider, attack her face-down monster!" He ordered as the Beast-Warrior tossed its blade towards Rikku's facedown monster card…

"I don't think so!" Rikku declared as she activated one of her face-down cards, a trap card. "Activate Mirror Force! Say goodbye to Vorse Raider and your machines!" The blades hit the Mirror-like barrier as the attack then bounced off and not only hit Kaiba's Vorse Raider, but his X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank.

Kaiba growled slightly. 'Looks like I've underestimated this greenhorn duelist. But then again, maybe she just got lucky.' He looked at the cards currently in his hand as he then stated. "I end my turn."

"My Turn!" Rikku drew a card. "I'll sacrifice my face down monsters to summon the strongest monster in my hand!" She announced as the cards vanished from the field. "Say hello to…dun-dun-dun-dun…The Blue Eyes White Dragon!" As the pyroflies came together, the strongest normal monster card appeared on the field, much to Rikku's delight. "Now, my Blue Eyes! Attack _Kaiba's_ facedown card directly!"

'Just what I wanted you to do…' Kaiba smirked. "Activate Trap card Ring of Destruction! Which will take our, for now, your Blue Eyes." A ring with a detenation device was then placed onto Rikku's Blue Eyes.

"You know that we're both going to lose major Life Points, right?" Rikku asked, slightly confused as to why he'd flush 3000 Life Points just to avoid being attack by a Blue Eyes. Maybe Tea was right about him when it came to a Blue Eyes White Dragon, She thought.

"Exactly why I play my Spell card, Defense Wheel, which will protect my Life Points from the effects of my Trap card." Kaiba declared as a green machine-like rotating barrier appeared in front of him as the ring around BEWD's neck exploded. Rikku felt the effects of the attack as her Life Points began to drop…

Kaiba: 8000

Rikku: 5000

"Now with no monster's on the field, you're pretty much open for an attack!" Kaiba stated with a grin.

"Don't count your chocobos before they hatch, buddy!" Rikku warned, which received a confused look to Kaiba from the "chocobo" reference, as she ended her turn. Meanwhile, the deck door opened as Shinra, Tea and Mokuba walked out from the elevator to watch.

"Who's winning?" Shinra asked.

"I bet it's Seto!" Mokuba said with pride as Kaiba drew a card. "Rikku may be great, but let's face it: She's no match for my big brother!"

From the look on his face, Kaiba was satisfied with the card he drew. "I reveal my facedown monster! Lord of Dragons [1200/1100]." Kaiba announced as the card flipped face up, summoning the Spellcaster dragon lord. I now play my spell card Flute of Summoning Dragons. Any 2nd-rate amateur knows that when played with Lord of Dragons on the field, a duelist can summon 2 dragons to the field! Unfortunately for you, I have two of the cards that will lead to your defeat. Now I summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons to the field!"

Lord of Dragons, with the Flute of Summoning Dragons in his hands, proceeded to blow on the horn, which caused two Blue Eyes to appear from the pyroflies, much to Rikku's shock.

"He got two of them on the field in one turn." She whimpered.

"And now there'll be three," Kaiba added, "Once I play this!" He then placed a card on the spell/trap card zone of the duel disk. "Monster Reborn! This allows me to recover any monster sent to the graveyard, even if it's yours! Take a guess which monster I'll choose!"

"Oh no…" Rikku knew exactly which monster he was going to pick, and the worse thing was that she couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"Oh yes! Now Blue Eyes White Dragon, come to me, your _true_ master."

"Oh no…He's not going to do what I think he is, is he?" Tea asked, concerned for Rikku. Apparently there was something she forgot to mention to Rikku.

"To do what?" Shinra asked.

"The most powerful monster in all of duel monsters!" Mokuba cheered. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, baby!"

From the pyroflies, Rikku's Blue Eyes returned to the field, but on Kaiba's side, who now had three Blue Eyes on the field.

"Be careful, Rikku!" Tea called out to her friend, warning her.

"Too late, Tea!" Kaiba retorted. "You're wasting your breath. It's too late to help her now! The biggest mistake Rikku made was accepting this duel, and now I'll teach her lesson that she'll never forget!"

"Do yer worst!" Rikku taunted as she got into her battle pose, believing that Kaiba was just bluffing.

Mokuba, meanwhile was pondering. "If Seto has three Blue Eyes in his deck, why would he use Rikku's Blue Eyes?"

"That's a good question, Mokuba." Tea replied. Everyone knew that there were only four Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world (In Tea's dimension.) and Kaiba had three. The forth was ripped by Kaiba, fearing that it would be used against him. But unless it was deep in his deck, why didn't he use his third one. 'Maybe to humiliate Rikku…' She thought.

Kaiba smirked. "Right now, I could've sent two of my three Blue Eyes to attack you directly and win the duel, but I want this to be a duel you'll never forget. A duel which you will learn why you should never challenge me." He then picked a card from his hand and placed it in the spell/trap card zone. I now play Polymerization, which will fuse my great beasts together to form the most powerful monster in Duel Monsters!"

The Three Blue Eyes were pulled together as it then formed a slightly-larger Blue Eyes, but this one had three heads as well as a dark symbol appeared on its head.

"Behold! The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! [4500/3800]"

"Alright!" Mokuba cheered. "This duel's over. There's nothing Rikku can do now!"

"Now what do I do?" Rikku wondered as she was face to face with the Ultimate Attack monster.

"I believe the answer is clear: Prepare to fall at the hand of my Ultimate Creature!" Kaiba answered, overhearing her. "Now Lord of Dragons, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Take out the rest of Rikku's life points."

"Not so fast!" Rikku announced as her face-down card appeared. "Go Widespread Ruin! This trap-card takes out the highest attack monster on your side of the field! So I'll only lose 1200 life points! Say goodbye to Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" She winked in triumph as she found a way to defeat the Ultimate Dragon. However, much to her horror, it had no effect… "What? But…"

"You amateur!" Kaiba exclaimed in frustration at Rikku's foolishness. "Another one of Lord of Dragon's special abilities is that he protects all Dragons on the field from Spell or Trap cards. You tried to delay the inevitable and you couldn't even do that right. Now…Lord of Dragons, attack directly!" He ordered as Lord of Dragons hit Rikku with a spell attack, causing her Life Points to drop.

Kaiba: 8000

Rikku: 3800

"And now Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! End this duel and bring me victory with your Neutron Blast!" Kaiba ordered as the three-headed Blue Eyes obliged by firing its Neutron Blast at Rikku directly, who shielded her eyes at the blast.

Kaiba: 8000

Rikku: 0

"It's over…" Tea said, with a bit of sympathy in her voice for Rikku.

"Poor Rikku, but that's the price she pays when she challenges my Big Brother." Mokuba said in a cheerful voice as he ran up to Kaiba to congratulate him.

Rikku fell down to her knees as she slightly leaned back. She felt limp as she looked down. "I lost…this quick? But how?"

"You lost this quickly because I am a superior duelist to in every way." Kaiba explained as Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon vanished into pyroflies. He now walked over to grab Rikku's deck or more specifically, the card which now belonged to him.

"No…not my Blue Eyes…" She whimpered.

* * *

Right now the Celsius is headed for Luca, where Yugi, Brother, and the crew are waiting. Rikku is crushed not only about her losing the duel, but by the fact that her Blue Eyes White Dragon now belongs to Kaiba. Will she recover from her loss? What will happen if and when Serenity find out about how Brother feels about her, and how will Joey and Tristan feel? Find out in the next chapter.

Preview for next chapter:

"Kaiba!" She shouted at Kaiba, just before he was about to enter the elevator.

He sighed in annoyance. "Look, if I want to waste anymore time with you geeks, I-"

"No, you look!" Tea grabbed Kaiba arm, which earned her a glare. But Tea didn't care. "Rikku could've turned down your challenge, and by all rights she should have. But she, like a true duelist, gave it her best shot!"

"So what? The important thing is that she lost and proven to be just another amateur in my way. Besides, compassion, pity, and all that other nonsense are only for the weak, like you."

**Chapter 10:** Reunion! Part 3


	10. Reunion Part Three: The Gang's All Here!

Thanks for the reviews:

**Lady D 10290** – Glad you feel that way about the Kaiba/Rikku thing. Yes they do make a cute couple, but also hilarity will arise from this.

**komodo**** dragon** – Thanks for the comment. After everyone meet up, things will take an interesting turn.

**Magicman/Smokegirl** – While it isn't certain that Kaiba will seriously get beaten up, but expect him to get humiliated at least twice. I'll give a small spoiler: The last chapter may possible not be the last time we'll see the Gullwings' "Prized Garmet."

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Reunion Part 3: The Gang's All Here

Kaiba held Rikku's duel disk in his hands as he browsed through her deck. After not only using Rikku's own Blue Eyes White Dragon, but fusing it together with two of his own to form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to defeat Rikku, along with his Lord of Dragons, he managed to win Rikku's rarest card: Her Blue Eyes.

"Hmph! A duelist as pathetic as you does not deserve such card." He said as he managed to take the Blue Eyes White Dragon card from her deck. "You should be honored. You're actually one of the few who I seen worthy enough to lose to my Ultimate Dragon. Here's some advice for future reference: Challenge me again and you'll be humiliated…" Kaiba then walked away, ignoring a glare from Tea, as he was then joined by his little brother!

"Way to go, Seto! You showed her! You're the coolest duelist I know!" Mokuba cheered as the Kaiba brothers went back inside.

Shinra approached Rikku as Tea, not exactly happy with Kaiba's sportsmanship, or lack thereof, goes back inside as well. It was bad enough that he got Rikku to accept the duel in the first place, but after the duel to treat her as if she's just some lower life form? Kaiba wasn't going to get away with that.

"Kaiba!" She shouted at Kaiba, just before he was about to enter the elevator.

He sighed in annoyance. "Look, if I want to waste anymore time with you geeks, I-"

"No, you look!" Tea grabbed Kaiba arm, which earned her a glare. But Tea didn't care. "Rikku could've turned down your challenge, and by all rights she should have. But she, like a true duelist gave it, her best shot!"

"So what? The important thing is that she lost and proven to be just another amateur in my way. Besides, compassion, pity, and all that other nonsense are only for the weak, like you."

"Weak? Weak!? Don't you even care about what you did? You crushed her confidence, and all you can say is 'so what?' I'm surprised that you haven't already ripped her Blue Eyes into two, like you did to Yugi's Grandpa's!" Tea reminded. "So why don't you rip it already and be done with it, you jerk? Isn't that why you challenged her in the first place?"

Kaiba just smirked, disregarding her comments. "Why I challenged her is none of your concern. Now if you excuse me, I have more important things to do."

"You're hopeless…" Tea muttered as she began to walk off, but then turned back. "Oh, allow me to let you in on a little secret! Rikku had a crush on you! That's right, Kaiba! Someone actually had a crush on you! I tried to warn you that you weren't worth it. That you're not even worth the time or money. But she didn't believe that. Even when she saw how much of a spiteful person you are, she thought that you were just misunderstood. Boy, how wrong she was…"

Kaiba glanced at Tea. "I'm sorry… I think you have me confused with someone who actually cares, let alone about what you think." He was then met with a slap across the face.

"Damn you…I hope your Blue Eyes gets thrown in the shredder…all _four_ of them." She hissed as she walked back outside as Kaiba just smirked.

"Like that'll happen…" He said as he continued towards the elevator. Luckily, Mokuba had already gone ahead before Tea approached him. "Besides, I only have three now…" Thankfully, no one had found out more about his incident with the Syndicate which resulted in one of his Blue Eyes White Dragon cards being destroyed.

"Man…how long does it take an airship to arrive?" Joey wondered as he stood with the gang. "I tell ya, it's just like waitin' for a bus!"

"I hear ya, Joey!" Tristan agreed. "Ya think that they had engine trouble?"

"What I'm more worried about is Kaiba's duel with Rikku…" Yugi stated.

"Well I for one hope that this 'Kaiba' beats her!" Brother expressed his opinion openly. He was tired of his sister always beating him, let alone by her Blue Eyes White Dragon as he hoped that Rikku would finally be put into her place.

"I take it you're not too fond of your sister." Bakura asked.

"She just annoys me, that's all…" Brother stated.

"By getting in the way of you being together with your crush?" Buddy asked with a grin, which caused Brother to growl.

"So what? Yuna and I will be together!" Brother declares, which caused Yugi to blink.

"Yuna, as in 'Lady Yuna?'" He asked.

"Yep…and she's his cousin too!" Joey stated as Serenity looked at Joey.

"You still haven't answered my question from before. What's incest, big brother?"

Joey sighed as he then explained to his sister as brief as he could. "Let me put it this way: If you have an intimate relationship with a family member, it would be considered as incest."

"I see…" Serenity nodded. "So if you and I were to hook up, it would be considered to be incest?"

"Yes, Serenity…"

"One of the good reasons why you should find yourself a boyfriend…" Tristan explained as he was then close to Serenity. "There one guy who would love to go out with you. He's tall, tanned, and hand-"

"Tris-" Joey was cut-off by Serenity.

"I can handle it Joey." She said as she then looked at Tristan. "I like you Tristan, but only as a friend…"

Tristan head went down in disappointment, "I know, you're more into Duke Devlin. No need to say it."

"No no no…" Serenity corrected. "I feel the same way about Duke. In fact, I'm not sure who I want to be with. So could you please be a little less hands on?" She asked politely as she moved Tristan's arm from her shoulder.

He sighed, "Okay…"

Serenity turned to her brother. "You see Joey, I can handle myself."

"I guess yer right…" Joey nodded as he was trying to get over the fact that his little sister was growing up.

"I'm interested in seeing one of these airships." Yugi said.

"I think it'll be more interested to see the looks on Tea and Kaiba's faces when they see you." Bakura reminded him about the "fusion" with Yami.

"Right…at least I don't have to worry about who Tea likes better…"

"And ya got us to thank!" Joey reminded as he and Tristan grinned, which earned them both a glare from Yugi. "Like you hate it!"

"You should've asked for OUR permission, you know…" Yugi stated. Honestly, he didn't mind being fused together with Yami into one person. For one, he wasn't as short anymore as he was taller than Serenity. And two, he didn't need the Millenium Puzzle, which was shattered back to pieces, since he now inherited Yami's Shadow Powers, but kept the pieces just incase if someone should seek the powers coughYamiBakuracough. Besides, now he wouldn't have to worry about Tea only liking Yami and not him.

"Fusion?" Buddy overheard the conversation and became interested. He then asked Yugi, "You mean there were two of you?"

"Well…yes…I mean no…I mean yes…I mean…" He sighed, "It's a long story…"

"We have time." Buddy smiled. Joey, however, decided to pull Tristan aside so they could perfect a certain technique they recently learned.

"Umm…Joey you sure this is a good idea to do this now?" Serenity asked her brother. "After all, you remembered what happened last time."

"Don't worry. We have it covered!" Joey assured.

"Yeah Serenity, it's bound to work this time!" Tristan agreed as they got into position…

"Fu…"

"Sion!"

Before Joey and Tristan could finish, a red airship suddenly flew above them. As it stopped, it proceeded to land.

"It's so big…" Serenity admired.

"You mean we're flyin' on that thing?" Joey asked which earned nods from the two Al-Bhed.

Rikku was in the cabin area, still depressed over her loss to Kaiba as she looked over her deck. "Looks like Brother and Buddy are done trading cards…" She said to herself as she spread the cards out on the bed. "I bet Brother will be sooo happy to hear that I lost my card…" Her deck mostly consists of machine type of cards, as well as a few cards that support machine-based fusion monsters such as Two Headed King Rex which was a component for the Machine Fusion Monster Cyber Saurus. With her Blue Eyes gone, her strongest, rarest non-fusion monster was now Machine King, while in the category of fusion monster was her XYZ Dragon Cannon.

The sliding door opened as Mokuba walked in.

"Rikku?" Mokuba called out. Apparently after the duel, he had noticed Rikku's expression. Even he thought that Kaiba went too far, but it wasn't his fault that he's the way he is.

"What?" Mokuba heard Rikku's somewhat-whinny moan as he then went up the stairs to find the source.

Rikku looked over to see the young boy walking towards her. "What do you want?"

"You okay?" He asked.

"Why do you care? Why aren't you celebrating with your big brother?" Rikku responded with a hint of bitterness in her voice, which took Mokuba back. She wasn't the happy, perky young Al-Bhed girl he met earlier. But then again, you wouldn't be happy if you lost your favorite and most rare card in your deck, let alone, in addition to a few hurtful words, to your crush.

"I know that I cheer for Seto a lot, but it's not like I worship the ground he walks on and believes that he could do no wrong!" He replied.

"You might as well!" Rikku slightly snapped at him as she looked down. "He's mean, cruel, and a total ass! Tea was right all along! Wonder if he ripped my card up already, just like Tea said he would."

"Hey! Seto's not that bad…" Mokuba responded in defense of his brother, but then sighed. "At least he never used to be…"

Rikku blinked, "'He never used to be?' What do you mean?"

"Seto used to smile a lot back when we were younger." Mokuba explained as he then looked down. "That is until our parents died and we were sent to an orphanage. That was also the last day Seto smiled…"

"What happened?" Rikku was now interested in hearing the story how Kaiba became the…person he is today.

"We were then adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba…remember that man in the red suit you saw on the Transphere?"

"So that's who that was? Who was the kid next to him?"

"Our Step Brother, Noah. We just found out about him recently, but that's another story…" Mokuba sighed, remembering the whole Virtual World incident where Noah trapped them and the others for a duel for their bodies. He then continued, "When we moved into the Mansion, we found out what kind of person Gozaburo really was…let's just say that he wasn't exactly father of the year as he used to ignore me and worked Seto to the bone everyday…"

Rikku pulled Mokuba into an embrace, feeling sorry for the little guy as she could relate to him. Her mom had died while she was in a young age and as for her relationship with her father? Let's just say that it could be better, after she found out what he was doing. Because of him, Zanakand was now a tourist attraction, much to her's and Yuna's dismay. "Oh Mokie…"

Once again, Mokuba was taken back from Rikku's words. "Seto…used to call me that…before…"

"You went to an orphanage?" She finished for him.

"Yeah… I miss that…my brother smiling…" a small tear formed in his eye. "Sometimes I wished that everything was the way it was before we went to the orphanage. At least Seto would still be smiling…"

Rikku could feel the Celsius landing, and knowing Brother he would want to duel Rikku, feeling that he now had the cards to beat her. She had to great the guys, but she couldn't leave Mokuba by himself, not after they were having a good coversation. Besides, Tea and Kaiba were probably on the bridge so they could handle it.

"YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" A furious Kaiba roared as the door opened, it wasn't Buddy and Brother who he was screaming about, but rather their guests...

"What's the matter Kaiba? Surprised to see us?" Bakura asked as he and the rest of them board the Celsius.

"'Surprised' is only an understatement of what I'm feeling right now." Kaiba said as he saw the others board. "Oh no, not the dog and the monkey-boy, too!" He complained as Joey and Tristan responded by flipping the bird at Kaiba.

"So where's Tea?" Joey asked.

"She probably in the cabin." Buddy suggested, but then thinks. "Yuna said that she was only going to stay in Besaid for a short while, but I wonder if Paine is going to be staying in Besaid and Mushroom Rock Road longer."

"I don't care!" Kaiba responded with vigor. "We're going to Guadosalam whether you geeks like it or not! I'll take control of this ship if I have too!" He was then stuck on the side by a peeved-looking Rikku.

"You be quiet, you big meanie!" She hissed.

"A sore loser, are we?" Kaiba smirked. "Just because you were foolish enough to agree to the duel doesn't give you the right to act like a little baby!"

Brother was all smiles, finding out that it was Rikku who had lost. "Ruf dra sekrdo ryja vymmah. (How the mighty have fallen.)"

"Clnaf oui!(Screw you!)" Rikku hissed with a kick to the shin in response, causing Brother to clutch his knee in pain. Who wouldn't feel pain from a platform shoe connecting to your shin with so much force?

"When you said that they don't get along, you weren't kidding." Tristan said aside to Buddy.

"We're going to Besaid, Kaiba!" Rikku glared.

"We are going to Guadosalam, and that's final!" Kaiba as he walked away from Rikku. "Deal with it…"

"'We're going to Besaid or else!"

"Or else what…"

"Or else…You'll never see your deck again!" Rikku says with a smirk as she holds a deck in her hands.

"What are you talking about you fool…" Kaiba dug into his pocket, much to his shock, it wasn't in there. He then narrows his eyes. "Give it to me, Rikku or I'll-"

"I'm sorry, but you're not in any position to make threats." Rikku says as she now goes to shuffle his deck. "How's about we go to Besaid, that is if it's okay with you, Kaiba-Boy!"

Calling him "Kaiba-Boy!" only made Kaiba angrier. "I told you we're not going to-!"

"I see two Blue Eyes White Dragons…" Rikku says as she looks through Kaiba's deck. "Hmm…they're a lot different than the art of my Blue Eyes." She acknowledges. (A/N: Rikku's Blue Eyes had the BEWD art from Starter Evolution Deck Kaiba/LOB Blue Eyes Booster Pack, While Kaiba's have the Starter Deck Kaiba art.) "Hmm…all I happen to find is two Blue Eyes…aside from the one you took from me…"

Kaiba was beginning to sweat bullets as Rikku continued to search for Kaiba's third Blue Eyes! He saw the smirks on Joey and Tristan's faces, knowing that they were enjoying every minute of it. Oh how he wanted to wipe those smirks off of their faces in the most painful way possible.

"RIKKU!" Brother roared. "As Leader of the Gullwings I order you to give Kaiba's deck back to him at once!"

"But…" Rikku complained.

"I think your leader just gave you an order…" Kaiba smirked. "Now give me back my deck!"

Rikku sighed as she reluctantly gave Kaiba back his deck.

"Now, as leader I decided that we're going to go to Besaid first to see Yuna! Then we'll go to Guadosalam!

"WHAT!?" Kaiba snapped.

"Sounds good to me!" Rikku chirped, seeing that Kaiba didn't get his way after all.

Tea, on the lift, over heard Kaiba's outburst from below. Probably over something trivial, she figured.

"Alright, now that we got our destinations fixed, how 'bout we see Tea?" Tea overheard that voice as her eyes widened in excitement, it was Joey's. Could they possibly be here? Even though it didn't take that long for the lift to reach the cabin level, it felt as if it was taking an eternity to reach to the cabin level. She just had to find out!

"Or else, we'll have to deal with Kaiba throwing a fit." Another voice said. That time it was Tristan's.

"Silence, you shark-headed monkey!" Responded Kaiba's voice as the lift has reached down.

Everyone looked at the door as it opened. After seeing who was inside, Yugi and co made a run for it for Tea. Much to Kaiba's annoyance.

"GUYS!"

"TEA!"

The now-reunited gang ran towards each other. However, they may have been too excited of being together again as they didn't notice a few machina parts on the floor which caused them to trip over and fall into a huge pile.

"Hmph…the geeks really are back together again." Kaiba snickered as Brother was somewhat pissed.

"SHINRA!" He roared as the young Al-Bhed boy walked out of the cabin into the halls.

"Yes?" He responded.

"You left your parts on the floor, causing our guests to trip and possibly hurt themselves!" Brother pointed to fallen Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Bakura, and Tea who appeared to have injured themselves on the machina parts. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Umm…I'm just a kid?" Shinra responded naturally.

* * *

I apologize for ending it right there, truth is that I'm not exactly the best at writing teary-eyed reunion parts, so I had it end right there. Don't worry, next chapter will be better.

Next Chapter: Kaiba finally gets what he wants as they go to Guadosalam for one thing: To take back the Transphere. Also, Yuna returns, but unfortunately so does…take a guess. And Rikku finally visits the Farplane (For Real this time, no more hiding behind a Commsphere.)

Preview:

"So…why are we going to Guadosalam?" Joey asked, annoyed as he and the gang were looking through the spheres the Gullwings have found.

"Kaiba said something about the LeBlanc syndicate stealing his updated Transphere." Rikku explained, "Whatever that is!"

"You mean to tell me that Kaiba made a new and improved Transphere without tellin' us!" Joey snapped as he threw his hands up in frustration, consequently tossing one of the spheres in the air.

"Hey!" Yuna jumped up and caught it before it could hit the floor. "Careful!"

"Sorry…"

Rikku asked Tea. "Does he always get this peeved?"

"When it comes to Kaiba, sadly yes." Tea said.

"Speaking of which, where is Setty Kaiby anyway?" Rikku looked around.

"Who knows…" Tristan shrugged.

"Who cares…" Joey scoffed.

"Well…somebody has to…" Yugi reminded.

"And Mokuba does!" Serenity added.

**Chapter 11:** To Chateau LeBlanc! Rikku Visits The Farplane!


	11. To Chateau LeBlanc! Rikku Visits The Far...

Thanks goes out to all who reviewed:

**Magicman/Smokegirl** – Yes it is shame that Kaiba wasn't beaten up, but expect Kaiba to get bashed on the head at some point. Rikku's my favorite FFX/X-2 character too! Who returns should not be a surprise.

**Kry** - Wow, everyone sure like to see Kaiba get some punishment. Don't worry, Kaiba'll get his.

**PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00** – Glad you feel that way. As for your question, just expect it. It may happen sooner than you think. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**Chapter 11:** To Chateau LeBlanc! Rikku Visits The Farplane!

At the bridge, Tea couldn't be even happier than she was right now. All of her friends were there with her as they began to share their adventures of the commsphere. Yuna, who they've since picked up from Besaid, was also there to hear and she was amazed of their journeys, as well as Brother, Rikku, and Buddy. This discussion soon went into their past adventures as Yugi and co shared their adventures from Duelist Kingdom ("I am not a dog!") to Battle City, to Noah and his virtual world ("THEY MADE A MONKEY OUTTA ME!"), and finally to the Battle City Finals. Yuna and Rikku soon began the tale of their adventures of Yuna's pilgrimage to rid Spira of the monster known as Sin. ("You were a High Summoner?") Up to their new tasks as sphere hunters with Brother, Buddy, Paine, and Shinra, who was currently in the engine room to decide what to do with the extra Machina parts. It was all perfect.

"Umm…Tea…?" Tristan asked. "I think we all speak for all of us when I asked why the hell did you leave in the first place?"

Tea then looked down. "Well…I…" She sighed. "I thought you guys didn't care about me!"

"You thought we didn't care about you?" Joey responded. "Where'd you get a stupid idea like that?"

"Oh come on Joey, like you don't even know what's been happening to us. How far apart we're drifting!"

"What are you talking about, Tea?" Serenity asked.

"I felt as if I was being replaced!" She snapped. "Like I was out and _you_ were in! You seem to be more trusting to Serenity than you are to me!"

"Where'd you get an idea like that?" Yugi asked.

"Like when Kaiba insulted and tripped Joey, I was the one who always talk him out of a fight before he gets in trouble. But no, Serenity cut in before I could have a chance. Or like when Joey and Tristan get into one of their fights…again, Serenity reminds them about what we've been through. _We_ as in you guys and me! Not just you guys! And when Serenity was becoming very friendly with Yugi, that was the last straw!"

Kaiba, meanwhile on the deck of the airship, was smirking as he watched the clouds quickly pass by him. At last, they were going to Guadosalam. He only had one thing in mind: The infiltration of Chateau LeBlanc, The headquarters of the LeBlanc Syndicate. They had stolen from him his latest invention-and the only way he could get back to Domino- His new and improved Transphere. The bad thing was that after he had regained the device, he'd have to bring the geeks home with him. Who knows, maybe he could set up a Spira branch of Kaiba Corp. After all, since they're now in the Duel Monsters craze, it was a gold mine for his technology!

"Seto?" The door opened as Mokuba walked towards his brother.

"We're almost there, Mokuba…" Kaiba said, arms crossed and all. "Soon, we're going to make those Syndicate fools pay for what they've done."

Mokuba blinked. "You mean?"

"That's right! I'll use the entire force of the Kaiba Corporation to bring them down if I have to. Nobody messes with the Kaiba family and leaves unscathed." He hissed.

"But Seto, how are you going to do that! We're dimensions away from home. There's no way you could contact anyone!"

"I'm thinking ahead of time!" Kaiba explained. "Once I get the Transphere back, I'm planning on suing for everything this "LeBlanc" person has for her goons kidnapping you, abducting us into this world!" He then said silently so Mokuba couldn't hear, "Destroying my Blue Eyes White Dragon card…" He sighs, "Sometimes I wished that I've never created the Transphere!"

"Don't say that, Seto!" Mokuba walked over. "It's a good invention that could open up new opportunities. Don't let a few jerks like the LeBlanc Syndicate spoil it."

"I know that, but…" Kaiba seethed. "How could have I been so foolish!? I should've never even considered making a deal with Logos and Ormi. I should've use all resources to take them down. And now we're stuck here…" He scolded himself.

"But what about Yugi and the others?"

"They're smart enough to find a way back on their own…well most of them." Kaiba explained. "I placed an emergency button on the bottom of that other Transphere which will take them back somewhere in Domino."

"Well that explains how Logos and Ormi got to Domino." Mokuba figured, putting two and two together."

"So…why are we going to Guadosalam?" Joey asked, annoyed as the gang was looking through the spheres the Gullwings have found.

"Kaiba said something about the LeBlanc syndicate stealing his updated Transphere." Rikku explained, "Whatever that is!"

"You mean to tell me that Kaiba made a new and improved Transphere without tellin' us!" Joey snapped as he threw his hands up in frustration, consequently tossing one of the spheres in the air.

"Hey!" Yuna jumped up and caught it before it could hit the floor. "Careful!"

"Sorry…"

Rikku asked Tea. "Does he always get this peeved?"

"When it comes to Kaiba, sadly yes." Tea said.

"Speaking of which, where is Setty Kaiby anyway?" Rikku looked around.

"Who knows…" Tristan shrugged.

"Who cares…" Joey scoffed.

"Well…somebody has to…" Yugi reminded.

"And Mokuba does!" Serenity added.

"Head's up kids! We're nearing our destination!" Buddy informed.

Brother looked toward his sister. "Rikku, go tell Kaiba that we're near Guadosalam."

"What?" Rikku protested. "Why me?"

"Because I'm the pilot, Brother's the navigator, and Yuna and Tea are teaching our friends about Spheres!"

"But-."

"That's an order Rikku!"

Rikku crossed her arms as she pouted. "Oui'na sayh!" ("You're mean!") She then walked up to Serenity. "Hey Serenity, can we trade brothers?"

"Huh?" Serenity was a bit taken back. "Excuse me?"

"Joey may be a bit dense, short tempered, and a bit overprotective. But at least he isn't an insensitive jerk! Unlike some people I know." She glared at Brother.

"Rikku!" Brother warned, his patience with Rikku thinning like a middle-aged man's hair.

"Fine!" She stormed off to the lift. First, she decided to check in the cabin area to see if Kaiba or Mokuba were there.

"Hey Barkeep!" Rikku greeted the Hypello. "Have you seen Seto or Mokuba?"

"Showwy Miss Reikoo!" He replied. "I haven sheen them."

"They can't be in the engine room…" Rikku muttered as she pondered the Kaibas location. "So they must be on the deck. Thanks Barkeep!"

"Noo problem!" Barkeep replied as Rikku walked back to the lift.

A few moments later, the door opened and Rikku was taken to the top of the Celsius. She then saw the people in question.

"Are we there yet?" Kaiba asked in his usual cold tone of voice.

"Almost…" She said as she walked back inside.

"Good. The sooner we can leave this place, the better." He hissed, which Rikku happened to have heard.

"Good riddance…" She muttered as Mokuba sighed.

"As if I haven't already had enough of hearing these superstitious fairytales, Spira filled with them." Kaiba snorted. "And I thought Ishizu's and Yugi's nonsense about the so-called 'ancient past' was ridiculous."

"What are you saying?" Rikku walked back to Kaiba with a glare.

"I mean really. Aeons? High Summoners? Yeah, they've must've been really high to believe something as ridiculous as that. And 'Sin?'" Kaiba began to laugh, "Come on! A monster that killed civilizations for, what, over a hundred years? That has to be the biggest load of garbage that I have ever heard! It even puts Yugi claming that he was a Pharaoh in a more believable light."

"Seto…" Mokuba sighed. Upset by the way Kaiba's acting towards Rikku, and at the same time feeling pity towards him.

Suddenly, Kaiba felt a huge slap across his face as Rikku now glared at Kaiba, with small tears forming in her eyes.

"Oui'na sayh, lniam, yht y pydradel aqlica vun y rosyh paehk! E ruba y Shoopuf cxiycrac oui!" ("You're mean, cruel, and a pathetic excuse for a human being! I hope a Shoopuf squashes you!") She yelled as stormed back inside, on the verge of crying.

"You're very admirable to talk to me that way, especially in a language I don't understand!" Kaiba yelled towards her as she walked inside.

"SETO!" Mokuba snapped at his brother.

"Mokuba!?" Kaiba's eyes went wide. He had forgotten that Mokuba was right beside him.

"How could you be so mean to Rikku?" Mokuba glared. It's safe to say that when it comes to glares, it runs in the family as his glare even rivals his brother's.

"What do you expect me to do? Believe that…nonsense that girl just told me! You know I don't believe in-"

"-Superstitious Fairytales?" Mokuba finished for him. "You always say that! Just like with the Millennium Items! For your information, that 'Superstitious Fairytale' is the reason why Rikku doesn't have a mother!"

"So it's my fault that her mother was dumb enough to go for some aeons that DIDN'T EXIST!?"

"SIN KILLED HER MOTHER!" Mokuba screamed. (A/N: Again, I have zero idea about Rikku's mother. I'm just going to say that she's killed by Sin in this story.)

Kaiba was taken back from this realization as he now didn't know what to be shocked about more: Him finding another thing in common with her besides having a Blue Eyes, or him being yelled at by his "#1 Fan" the way he was.

'That's right Seto! Sin killed Rikku's mother! I wanted to tell you, seeing that we both could relate. But then I remembered your talks about how we should bury the past!" Mokuba walked away from Kaiba and headed back inside. "Everyone said that you were nothing but a heartless jerk, but I told them that they were wrong! It looks like I was the one who was wrong…" He said in a whisper.

"Great…" Kaiba muttered as he watched Mokuba go back inside the ship. "Damn you, Gozaburo…" He said to himself. "Damn you for making me this way…"

Rikku decided to wipe away the tears from her eyes before entering the bridge so that no one would notice. How could Kaiba be so cruel? If Kaiba really was nice, then this "Gozaburo" person Mokuba talked about really changed him. As the sliding door opened, Rikku walked in and went back to the others.

"So did you tell him?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah…but can I ask you guys something: If you decide to go back to Domino, and by certain circumstances Mokuba became an orphan would any of you adopt him?"

"Uhh…of course! Why Rikku?" Tea asked.

"Well…let's just say that it took everything inside of me to keep me from just shoving Kaiba off this ship to about a million-foot fall!" Rikku said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Hmph, join the club…" Joey muttered, knowing all too well how much of a jerk Kaiba can be.

"Joey, that's not nice." Serenity said to her brother.

"Sorry sis, but who wouldn't want to give Moneybags exactly what he deserves."

"Joey does have a point." Tea agreed with him. "We all tried to reach out to him as friends, and he always shunned us."

"What Kaiba needs is a good 'ole fashion beat down." Joey say, pounding his fists together.

"You know that violence doesn't solve anything." Yuna reminded.

"You may be right Yunie, but it'll surely make a lot of people feel better." Rikku stated.

As if it was in perfect timing, Buddy announced. "We have now arrived in Guadosalam."

Tristan looked out from the window. "This forest is Guadosalam?"

"No, that's the entrance." Tea corrected. "We have to go through the gateway to actually get to the place itself.

"Oh…"

After the airship has landed, everyone, aside from Mokuba, Shinra, Buddy, and Brother, got off the airship.

"Nice town…" Joey muttered. "If you're a squirrel…"

"But I thought you'd like trees, seeing that you're a dog." Kaiba retorted.

"Oh go back to the sea Kaiba…"

"Shh!" Yuna hissed. Not wanting a fight to be resulted from their argument. "So why are we here?"

"To get back my Transphere..." Kaiba simply said.

"A sphere?" Yuna asked.

"It's just like Tea's transphere, only mine's more advanced."

"So it's in there?" Tristan asked while he pointed to Chateau LeBlanc.

"Where else could it be, Monkey Boy." Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Well excuse me if I don't actually know this place like you do, Kaiba."

"Will you guys stop?" Yugi asked. "If we're going to get the Transphere back, then we're going to have to work together.

"Together? Keep thinking your fantasies, Yugi…" Kaiba muttered as he walked off.

"Come on, Kaiba! It'll be much easier if we helped instead of-."

Kaiba cut-off Joey, "I never needed your help and I never will." He hissed.

"Fine." Joey snapped. "Get killed for all I care!"

"Joey!" Yugi protested.

"No! I'm sick of helping Kaiba's sorry ass without any 'Thank yous!' If the jerk wants to be alone, let him!"

"Come one Joey, if you were in his position, Kaiba would've-" Bakura was cut-off by Joey looking at him as if he was the biggest idiot since the Stone Age.

"A hostile group, aren't they?" Yuna said aside to Tea.

"I'm surprised that Joey hasn't even jumped Kaiba yet…" Tea replied, as she then noticed Rikku walking off. "Rikku, where are you going?"

"To the Farplane…" Rikku simply said, much to Tea's shock. The last time she said that, she just used the Transphere, which was how they found the Kaiba brothers, which was a decision Rikku was beginning to regret.

"The Farplane?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, interested.

"It's like a graveyard, but very different." Tea explained as she followed Rikku, with Yugi and Bakura following her.

"Sounds interesting." Yugi admitted.

"Graveyards creeps me out…" Serenity admitted, suddenly feeling butterflies in her stomach.

Yuna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. It's not bad!"

"Okay…" Serenity nodded as she and Yuna followed the others. Joey and Tristan were bringing up the rear until a pair of hands pulled them back by the back loins of their shirts.

"You two are coming with me!" Kaiba hissed as he proceeded to drag the two friends back.

"For what Kaiba…" Tristan narrowed his eyes as Kaiba brought them back to three unconscious Dr. Goons.

"You're the only two idiots that could fit in those outfits." Kaiba explained as he began to swipe the taller Goon of his outfit. "We're going to infiltrate the Chateau."

"What happened to not needin' my help, Mone-"

"JUST GET INTO THE OUTFITS YOU GEEKS!" Kaiba screamed as he began to change…

"Alright alright…" Joey muttered as he and Tristan began to change into the Syndicate duds. "Sheesh…" 

After changing into Syndicate duds, the three boys from Domino approached the Chateau as Kaiba then open the door.

"Don't mess up." He hissed as he walked in, followed by Joey and Tristan.

"Nice place…" Joey commented as he saw the place from the inside. It was what you'd expect in a mansion: chandeliers, royal carpeting, and numerous rooms.

"Hmph, it's okay…if you're a gnome…" Kaiba stated as he decided to walk to the big door on the bottom floor. "We should check here."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we split up?" Tristan asked.

"Knowing you two, you'd get lost. And I don't need to be saving your asses, just because you're stupid enough to get caught." Kaiba said. "Let's go!"

"Since when are you the leader, Kaiba?" Joey responded.

"I SAID LET'S GO!" Kaiba screamed as he then glared at Joey. "Look what you made me do?"

"Fine, let's check in there…" Joey muttered while muttering obscenities under his breath.

The door opened, revealing what appeared to be some type of ballroom. It was pretty huge, as there was a table in the middle which contained a mountain of fruit.

"This room's huge!" Tristan exclaimed.

"You're easily impressed." Kaiba stated. "But what would one expect from the lower class." He looked around and saw two men fast asleep. The same two men who Kaiba had an old score to settle with: Logos and Ormi.

"Eh…Kaiba?" Joey tapped Kaiba on the shoulder. "You know d'ose two or somethin'?"

"They're the ones who have the Transphere." Kaiba stated as Tristan examined the belt around Ormi's waist. It contained a number of sphere-shaped objects and they were all orange.

"That's a lot of spheres…" Tristan stated as he then saw one sphere that caught his attention. "Kaiba…"

"What now, Taylor…" Kaiba muttered as he then saw what he was talking about. "Perfect…" Kaiba walked closer as the snoring sound of Ormi became louder.

"This guy's snores even louder than you, Joey!" Tristan stated.

"And he smells worse than you, Tristan!" Joey retorted.

"Will you idiots shut up for just one second?" Kaiba hissed, but then find himself grabbed around the waists by Logos, who was still asleep. "Oh great…"

"Heheheh…looks like somebody like's you!" Joey said in teasing tone.

"Shut up, Wheeler!" Kaiba retorted as Logos began to rub his hands on Kaiba.

"Oh Lady Yuna…" He muttered in his sleep. "Your skin is so smooth to the touch. Yes…I will take you…"

Kaiba was freaked out by the Syndicate Member's actions. Was Logos trying to do what he thought he was? He then looked towards Joey and Tristan. "Wheeler, Taylor, get the sphere!" He hissed. Kaiba would've done so himself, but if he tried to move, their cover would be blown.

"Calm down 'Lady Yuna.'" Joey teased. "We wouldn't want to wake them up, would we?"

"Just get the sphere before I'm molested!" He snapped.

"Alright Kaiba, don't get your panties in a bunch." Tristan said as he reached for the Transphere, but then found himself into Ormi's grip.

"Oh Boss…give me the heel! Heel me! Heel me!" Ormi pleaded in lust, much to Tristan's dismay.

"Great, now I'm this guy's play toy." Tristan muttered.

"Now you know how I feel!" "Yuna" retorted, still being "massaged" by Logos.

"Hi mom…" Rikku said nervously towards an image of a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes, wearing goggles, and a black and purple bodysuit. "I know that it's been a long time since I came here. You must think that it's because I didn't want to see you. Well…it's true… It's not because I didn't…it just…it just hurts to know that yer gone!" She sniffled. "Mom, why did you have to go?"

Tea sighed. "It must be hard for her, isn't it?"

"I can relate to her feelings." Yuna sighed, remember that her father had sacrificed his life for the Final Summoning.

Yugi was focused with feelings of his own. Feelings for who he never thought he had for, as several images of people appeared before him. Few of the people were familiar to him, as they looked just like Kaiba, Shadi, Ishizu. And two people who, in a way, resembled Duel Monsters which he usually uses: Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. The other two he knew, but couldn't ponder their names for the moment. Those memories and feelings must have come from the fusion he had with Yami back in Other World.

Tea noticed Yugi's expression on his face. "Hey Yugi, who are those people?" She asked.

"I'm not sure…" He admitted. "Most of them look familiar to me, while there are a few that puzzles me."

"Looks like the fusion gave you more than just shadow powers…" Tea nodded. When she first saw Yugi in his fused state, she couldn't believe it as she gave Joey and Tristan a lecture about fusing people without their permission. But lately she became to love the new Yugi. While he still contained a pure heart, he was braver and stronger than he was before.

Serenity was standing in the corner, worried about Joey and Tristan. Weren't they just behind them? If so, then where were they? They probably went with Kaiba, as everyone expected. That had to be the explanation for their absence. On the other hand, Kaiba wasn't exactly their favorite person. Maybe they were abducted. Or worse…

Bakura noticed Serenity's worried expression. "Is there something wrong, Serenity?"

"I was just thinking about Joey and Tristan…" She responded. "They didn't come into the farplane with us. I guess they'd probably went with Kaiba, but I'm not so sure."

"Well it is a bit odd for then both to be willingly with Kaiba." He explained, "But knowing what's in stake, Joey, Tristan, and Kaiba decided to put aside their differences."

"You're probably right, I guess..." Serenity nodded as she then made a run for it to the exit. "But that's my brother in there and I gotta see if he's okay!"

"Serenity, wait!" Bakura called out, but she was already gone.

Yuna, Tea, and Yugi also took noticed. "What's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"Serenity's going to find Joey, Tristan, and Kaiba!" Bakura informed them.

Tea pondered. "Joey and Tristan have been gone for a while now…and since they didn't know anything about Spira, they'd probably got lost somewhere or worse went with Kaiba."

Her and Yuna's eyes went wide. "The Chateau!" They both cried.

"The three of them are trying to get that sphere!" Yuna said.

"And knowing the three of them when it comes to being in the same room as each other, they're probably not going to need the LeBlanc Syndicate to hurt them when they'll do the job themselves." Tea added.

"Well in that case, let's go!" Yugi ran off in a full sprint. "There's no telling what kind of trouble Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan have gotten themselves into."

Tea nodded as she follow suit as Yuna walked towards her cousin. "Rikku, it's time to go!"

"I'll be right there…" She said as she then, after receiving a nod, watched Yuna follow Yugi and Tea. She looked towards the image of her mother.

"Well Mom, I have to go. I promise I'll be back soon. Well…bye Mom and…" Rikku sighed, "Again I'm sorry for not coming here…seeing you…" As the image began to disappear, she started to run off. But she turned back and saw that Bakura was still standing there, looking down.

Rikku turned back, "Hey Bakura, everyone's leaving, let's go!" Seeing no response from him, she then walked toward the bearer of the Millennium Ring. "Hello…Earth to Bakura! What's up?" She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hands off me you pathetic mortal!" He responded, but not in the nice, sensitive tone Rikku usually heard from him, but in a more dark and vindictive tone.

Rikku was taken back by Bakura's response. "Hey Bakura, what's yer problem?"

"Bakura? Bakura!?" A familiar ring then appeared around his neck as his hair began to spike up a bit. "I am not the weak fool that is my light! I am his much stronger half."

"Say…what?" Rikku was clueless about Bakura's behavior. Either he's crazy or is trying to play a joke.

"I am not Bakura, I am a thief and stealer of-"

"You're a thief, too?" Rikku smiled as she chuckled. "Cool! We're all thieves here." She has a smug look on her face as she placed an arm around his shoulder. "So…what are yer finds?"

"HANDS OFF THE THEIF KING!" Yami Bakura roared as Rikku jumped back, startled.

"Okay…you don't like being touched." She mewed.

"As I was saying, I am a thief and stealer of souls!" The Tomb Robber snickered. "Isn't it fitting that we're at the Farplane, the place where the dead goes? Soon, you shall join your mother, as well as your new friends. As then I will become one step closer to obtaining all seven Millennium Items."

Rikku glared, now knowing what's going on. "Okay, who or whatever you are, you're not going anywhere!" She said as she took out her weapon. "Let Bakura go or else!"

"Or else what, you fool!?" Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes, not seeing Rikku as a serious threat.

"Say hello to my two friends here!" She threatened.

Yami Bakura laughed, "I like to see you try, Pathetic Mortal."

"Alright….You asked for it!" Rikku began to charge at the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, however, with the glow of the ring, she found herself frozen in mid-movement. "Hey…what's going on?" She panicked.

"I only gave you a sample of the power of my Millennium Ring. But that's only a sample of what I intend to do. Especially to Yugi…" He grinned.

"Yugi? What does Yugi have to do with this?" Rikku asked.

"Wheeler, if you don't do something, I swear to God I'm…"

"Oh pipe down, Kaiba…" Joey whispered back as he tried to, without waking up Ormi, grab a hold on the Transphere. "Got it, now to find a substitute…" Joey pondered, then dug from his pocket the orange he had managed to pick up for a snack later. "The perfect substitute."

"Okay Joey, it would be nice if you just snatch Transphere and help us before we're molested by the dream boys!" Tristan hissed silently as Ormi rubbed up his thighs, believing that he was "LeBlanc."

"Almost got it…" Joey pulled the pouch gently as he took out the Transphere then quickly placed the orange in its place. "There…Nuthin' to it, guys!"

"Get these freak off of me!" Kaiba and Tristan both hissed at Joey.

"A'right…" Joey muttered, as then the door opened. There stand three guys, only clad in there briefs and socks.

"There they are!" One of them shouted.

"They're the one who stole our uniforms!" The second informed.

"They're stealing our spheres!" The third one added as he then pressed a button, triggering an alarm.

"We're busted…" Tristan said as he decided to kick Ormi off of him.

Kaiba followed suit, seeing that there wasn't any point of keeping them asleep since the alarm would awaken them anyway.

"Huh-what?" Ormi was beginning to stir as he then noticed three guys in Syndicate duds knocking three other guys down while they run. Apparently they were in a hurry for some reason. He blinked. The three guys on the ground, who just got up and followed suit, Ormi knew as they were the ones he recruited.

"GIVE US BACK OUR UNIFORMS!"

"RETURN THAT SPHERE AT ONCE!"

Logos was getting up as well. "STOP THE INTRUDERS AT ONCE!"

"Heheheh…look at them trying to chase us!" Joey snickered as he, Tristan and Kaiba took off the masks. They were near the door which would lead them out from the hall.

"That was almost too easy! They basically gave us the sphere!" Tristan stated.

"You idiots, don't get too cocky!" Kaiba snapped.

"Oh c'mon, Rich boy…" Joey protested, "Even you have to admit that it seemed too simple. I mean, for a big organization, the security here sucks! Tristan's right. This whole infiltration thing was just too-" After the passed through the door, much to their dismay, about a group of Dr. Goons, Fem Goons and Sniper Vipers were blocking the doorway. "…Easy."

Kaiba glared at Joey. "Wheeler I'd give you a fork so you could eat your words, but we have bigger trouble on our hands."

From the hall entered Logos and Ormi. "Well Mr. Kaiba. It's a pleasure to meet you again." Logos said.

"We thought we lost you and your brother after arriving back in Spira." Ormi added, "But you're back, and you've brought a few friends."

"'Friends' wouldn't be the word to describe those two…" Kaiba muttered. 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Another Cliffhanger. Rikku's having an encounter with Yami Bakura at the Farplane. As Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan are in the Chateau, surrounded by the Syndicate while everyone else are rushing to save them. What will happen? Will Rikku be saved, or will she have a one-way ticket to the Shadow Realm. Will Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan get out with the Transphere alive, or will they be back to square one or worse? Find out in the next installment!

Preview for Next Chapter:

"You!" Yugi's eyes narrowed. "But I thought I banished you to the Shadow Realm."

"Stupid Pharaoh, when will you learn that I am the darkness and you'll never be rid of me?" Yami Bakura smirked. "And now, I shall finally obtain the Millennium Puzzle from you, Yugi…"

"Not on your life, Tomb Robber!"

**Chapter 12:** Enter the Shadow Realm…


	12. Enter The Shadow Realm

It's that time again kids! It's time for the next installment of "A New Path!" Sadly, there's probably about up to four more chapters left in this story. But not to worry, there will be a sequel to this. Now let's get to the story. But first…

**Lady D 10290() – **Yes it seems that Kaiba and Rikku are having it bad right now, but expect things to get better for one of them, and expect things to get worse for the other. As for Logos and Ormi, expect them to be punished…

**Magicman/Smokegirl**** – **Just because they didn't show up, doesn't mean that they won't later. If not in this story, they will be in the sequel as they'll have a big role in the plot I'm working on…****

**PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00 – **Expect Logos and Ormi to get punished. Will it be painful? You find out.

* * *

****

**Chapter 12: **Enter The Shadow Realm

"Well, what do we have here?" Logos grinned at the trapped Kaiba, Joey, and Tristan. "It appears that Mr. Kaiba's trying to steal our Transphere from us, don't you say Ormi?"

"Your Transphere?" Kaiba snapped. "For your information you're the ones who stole it from me, as well as kidnapping me and Mokuba!"

"Hmm…I must admit that you are very persistent. Much better than that last stunt you pulled."

Joey blinked, "What last stunt?"

"Yeah Kaiba, you tried this before?" Tristan asked as Kaiba growled. Knowing that his secret was being revealed.

"He tried throwing his cards at us as if it were a sharp knife when trying to rescue his brother." Ormi explained. "But Logos shot it down. Kaiba then dropped down to his knees and started crying. Then went off about something about Blue Eyes or…"

"Kaiba…" Joey narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance. "You threw your Blue Eyes White Dragon Card at them? And you say that I'm an idiot…"

"WELL IT SAVED TEA FROM HAVING A CRATE DROP ON HER, DID IT NOT, WHEELER!?" Kaiba snapped, reminding him of the Battle City incident at the warehouse.

"Alright, Kaibs, calm down…" Joey muttered, covering his ear. "Sheesh…"

"Well anyways Kaiba, things change and now that Transphere belongs to the Boss!" Ormi stated. "So hand it over!"

"Not on yer life, pal!" Joey stated, holding the Transphere protectively.

"The only way you're getting this is over our dead bodies!" Tristan added.

"It looks like we don't have any other choice…" Logos sighed. "Parting is such sweet sorrow…" He grabbed his pistols from his belt as Ormi got into a fighting stance with his shield. "Get them!"

Just as the Syndicate was about to open fire, a few gunshots were heard from behind them, much to the shock of everyone. Joey, Kaiba, and Tristan looked up as they saw a familiar brown-haired girl with two pistols in her hands shooting at the Syndicate.

"Yuna!" The boys shouted.

"What are you guys standing there for?" She scolded, "Now's your chance to run!"

"I don't need your help to get out of here, much less a woman's." Kaiba retorted.

"Shut up and go!" Joey tugged Kaiba's arm as the four of them ran out the door, reuniting with Yugi, Tea, and Serenity.

"JOEY!" Serenity sprinted as she then glomp her brother.

"Easy sis, I'm alright!" Joey assured, wincing at her sister's air-tight hug.

"What about me? Do I get some-" Tristan complaining was interrupted as a familiar scream was heard all the way from the Farplane.

"Rikku!" Tea and Yuna exclaimed. As Joey then blinked.

"Wait a minute, wasn't Bakura with you?" He asked. "You don't mean…"

"Wheeler, if you even mention-" Kaiba's threat was interrupted as the very angry members of the LeBlanc Syndicate ran after them.

"You guys check up on Rikku and Bakura. I'll handle them." Yugi insisted, as he had already formed a plan to keep them away.

Kaiba gave him a skeptical look. "You're kidding right?"

"We don't have time to argue! My cousin's in trouble!" Yuna scolded as she grabbed Kaiba by the arm, pulling him towards the Farplane, followed by Joey, Serenity, Tea, and Tristan as the LeBlanc Syndicate moved closer to them.

"You're not going anywhere!" Logos shouted, but Yugi stopped in front of them. "Move out of the way or you'll be dealt with in the most violent manner."

"How about we play a little game…" Yugi smiled as he took out his deck. "You, your friend, and I will each draw one card from the deck. Whoever draws the card with the highest attack points without going over 3000 wins! You win and you'll do whatever you please with Kaiba and his friends. Lose, and I'll decide your fate…"

"Hmph…" Logos retorted. "We don't have time for childish games…"

"But if that's the only way…" Ormi added.

"Splendid." Yugi shuffled the cards. "Now we each draw one card…"

The two second-in-commands each drew a card. Ormi has smile on his face. "Get a load of this!" He showed his card. It was Dark Magician [2500]. "This card appears to be very strong."

"Hmph…the card I hold is much more powerful…" Logos showed his card. It was Buster Blader [2600].

Yugi looked at his card as he smiled. The Shadow Game he started was going exactly the way he planned. "Those are very powerful monsters you have drawn. But they fail in comparison to this!" He then showed the card he had drawn: Dark Paladin, the Supreme Magician Knight [2900]!

"It can't be!" Logos and Ormi shouted.

"Oh but it is! You lose!" The fused Yugi and Yami informed.

"Like one lousy game is going to decided what we're going to do!" Ormi sneered as he got out his shield.

"Now it's time for you to see the consequences of messing with the LeBlanc Syndicate." Logos drew out his pistols.

"I don't think so…" Yugi said, annoyed as the Eye of Horus appeared on his head...

At their arrival at the Farplane, Yuna and co. were shocked at what they saw: Rikku lying lifeless on the floor as Yami Bakura gave a vicious smirk.

"Rikku!" Yuna cried as she ran toward he fallen cousin, then gave a murderous glare towards the spirit of the Millennium Ring. "How could you, Bakura?"

"That's not Bakura, Yuna…" Tristan informed. He was still couldn't believe that the Ring had made its way back to Bakura, as he was sure that he threw away it as far as he could back in Duelist Kingdom when he tried to take the then-soulless Mokuba's body for his own. "That spirit of the Millennium Ring's taken over Bakura…again…"

"You still believe this nonsense about these fairytales…" Kaiba muttered disgustedly.

Yami Bakura laughed, "After all you've experienced Kaiba, and you still don't believe what's happening? And as for you Lady Yuna, no need to worry about your fallen kin. As soon you'll be joining her, as well as the rest of you, in the Shadow Realm!"

"Hey you jerk, get a life…" Joey shouted, letting his bravado getting the best of them again. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Don't push him, Joey…" Serenity mewed. Ever since Battle City, she has been terrified of Bakura's darker half.

"Have it your way, Pathetic Mortal!" Yami Bakura grinned as the Spirit of the Millennium Ring flashed…

Logos opened his eyes as he then noticed a small sphere on the ground. "Hmm…a perfect sphere…" Logos went to grab it, but much to his horror, it instantly vanished. "What?"

Ormi was having the same problem as he tried to grab the spheres on his belt, but they too vanished. "My spheres!"

Yugi smirked at the two Syndicate Members just realizing their game penalty. "From here on out, every sphere you happen to find will vanish before your eyes for one week."

He then heard various screams from the Farplane as Yugi blinked. "Oh no…the others!" Braking out in a sprint, he left the punished Syndicate Members as he quickly rushed towards the Farplane, worried about what was going on with his friends and what threat could they be dealing with.

After he reached the Farplane, his eyes were wide. All of his friends were on the ground unconscious. "Who could've done this…" He asked, but then found the answer to his own question when he found one body was missing…

"So…we meet again, Pharaoh…"

"You!" Yugi's eyes narrowed. "But I thought I banished you to the Shadow Realm."

"Stupid Pharaoh, when will you learn that I am the darkness and you'll never be rid of me?" Yami Bakura smirked. "And now, I shall finally obtain the Millennium Puzzle from you, Yugi…"

"Not on your life, Tomb Robber!"

"We'll see about that, Yugi."

Yugi sighed. Even though the Millennium Puzzle was in his pocket in pieces, Bakura could still somehow figure out how to put the pieces together. Even though Yugi inherited the its power as a result of the fusion, the Puzzle still was powerful, and if it fell into the wrong hands such as Yami Bakura's, the results would be disastrous. "I swear as long as air breathes into my lungs, as long as blood flows through my veins, you will never get your hands on the Millennium Puzzle."

"Okay then…" Yami Bakura grinned. "How about we play a little game, just like back in Duelist Kingdom."

"A duel?"

"Yes, but it's going to be much different than last time. We'll each start with 8000 life points, but that's not all. Let's say that the stakes are going to be much higher."

"What do you mean…" Yugi glared.

"If you win Pharaoh, the souls of your friends will be restored to their bodies. But when I win…" The Spirit grinned evilly. "Your soul will join your friends and I'll get the Puzzle, as well as the other Millennium Items in your possession. Don't think that I do not know about you obtaining the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace."

Yugi sighed, remembering obtaining those items from the Ishtars, but at different time periods.

"So…do you accept my challenge? Just remember: With the exception of the 8000 life points, Duelist Kingdom Rules Apply."

"I accept."

Yami Bakura laugh manically as a dark fog appeared, covering the entire plane as a playing field then formed from the lost souls of the shadow. Afterwards, a row of cards appeared before him. "Before we begin, our cards will be randomly selected so whatever deck you have planned on using is now considered non-valid. Just something to spice things up…"

"Fine…" Yugi sighed as his cards were randomly being selected. Aside from his deck was being chosen randomly for him, it was Noah's virtual world all over again. And the worse part of it all: He couldn't do anything about it, unless he didn't want to rescue the souls of his friends.

"Let's duel!" They both shouted as they drew 5 cards.

"I start off by playing one monster face down!" Yami Bakura placed one card on the field. "I end my turn."

"My turn…" Yugi looked at his hand, all he had was either spell or trap cards except for two: The Forgiving Maiden and Dar Magician Girl. Knowing the stakes, his decision was obvious.

"I summon Dark Magician Girl [2000/1700] in Attack Mode!" As Yugi placed a card on the field, Dark Magician Girl was summoned…but she looked a bit different.

"Where am I?" Rikku's eyes opened as she looked around, wasn't she in the farplane just a few minutes ago, let alone dealing with Bakura's darker half? She then looked down. Wasn't she just wearing Tea's clothes a few minutes ago, now she was wearing blue and pink outfit, save for a hat and a wand in her hand. Has she become the Dark Magician Girl?

"Rikku?"

Rikku looked up and she freaked! "AHH A GIANT YUGI!"

"Rikku calm down, and let me explain. Right now, I'm dueling for everyone's souls, including yours." Yugi explained.

"That's nice, but why am I on the field, let alone dressed as Dark Magician Girl?" Rikku asked.

"I'm not sure, but my guess is that your souls might have been placed into their soul cards."

"So you mean to tell me that the Dark Magician Girl's my soul card?"

"Yes!"

Rikku moaned, "Aww…I wanted to be Cosmo Queen…"

"You have 2000 attack points, so you're pretty strong." Yugi informed. "And you have a special ability."

"Okay…and if you need my help Yugi, you got it!" Rikku winked at Yugi as she then saw Yami Bakura's facedown monster. "My first victim…" She grinned as she held up her wand.

"Rikku, wait!" Yugi warned. "You should be careful!"

"No big, Yuge! I got this!" Rikku assured as she began to attack.

"Noo!"

"Too late, Yugi!" Yami Bakura smirked. "She's already declared her attack for you!"

"Dark Burning Attack!" Rikku thrust her wand forward as the beam fired onto the facedown card, which was revealed to be Slate Warrior [1900/400].

Yami Bakura smirked. "Nice going, Rikku… You just activated one of my Slate Warrior's special abilities!"

At this point Rikku's body went limp as she collapsed. "Why do I feel so weak…?"

"One of Slate Warrior special abilities is that any monster that destroys it loses 500 attack and defense points."

"Great…" The thief-turned-Dark-Magician-Girl sighed, now weaker than before. [1500/1200]

"I end my turn." Yugi stated as Yami Bakura drew a card.

"Now to inflict damage to your life points." He grinned. "I now summon Vampire Lord [2000/1500] in attack mode!"

"Where the hell am I?" Kaiba's eyes opened as he saw Rikku, dressed as the Dark Magician Girl. Then looked down and saw that his white trench coat and black clothes were gone. In his place was a gothic suit. "What is this!?"

"Kaiba?" Yugi examined the Vampire Lord summoned on Yami Bakura's side of the field.

"What an interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say Pharaoh?" The Yami smirked. "The same friends you're trying to rescue have now been turned against each other. But look on the bright side Pharaoh: If you manage to win, all of your friends will be restored. Even if they've already been sent to the graveyard…"

"You're sick…" Yugi sneared.

"Now my Vampire Lord, destroy Yugi's Dark Magician Girl!"

"Forget it, you meanie! Setty would never attack me...right?" Rikku looked around nervously. "Right!?"

"Sorry Rikku…" Kaiba smirked. "Nothing personal…it's just business!" Kaiba went for an attack as he released his bats.

"Nooo!" Rikku cried at the bats hit her. She felt herself shattering into pieces.

"NO! RIKKU!" Yugi shouted as his life points dropped, then glared at Kaiba. "Kaiba, how could you!"

Yugi: 7500

Y. Bakura: 8000

"Look Yugi! As much as I don't like the situation we're in, we have no choice but to play by the rules." Kaiba replied then smirked. "Perhaps next time you'll choose your moves more wisely if you want to protect everyone. Think of this as a challenge."

"KAIBA…"

"The pathetic mortal's right." Yami Bakura smirked. "It's your move…"

"Fine…" Yugi drew a card, then placing a few more cards on the field. "I play two cards face down as I place a monster on the field in defense mode." He looked at Bakura. "I end my turn…"

"Very well…" Bakura drew a card. "I now summon Blazing Inpachi in Attack mode, then place a card faced down!" He announced as the burning wood creature appeared on the field. "Now Blazing Inpachi, attack Yugi's facedown monster!"

"Hold on, Tomb Robber!" Yugi interrupted as one of his faced-down cards appeared. "I activate Mirror Force, which will destroy every monster on the field in attack mode. That includes your Blazing Inpachi and Vampire Lord! Sorry Kaiba."

"Yugi…" Kaiba seethed as the effects from Blazing Inpachi's attack hits both him, and the monster itself, destroying them both.

"Another one of your friends destroyed…" Yami Bakura sighed in mock pity. "I now end my turn by placing three cards face down…"

"I now reveal my facedown monster: Cyber Jar!" Yugi announced as the machine jar appeared on the field then disappeared. "Now we each draw 5 new cards, if either of them is a monster card having 4 stars or less, it's immediately placed on the field."

"Now where am I…" Kaiba looked around as he saw several tombstones. "So…this is what it's like to be in the graveyard…" He said to himself as he began to walk around. "Yugi better win this duel or-" He was then bashed on the head with a wand-Hard! Kaiba slowly got back up on his feet as he turned around and saw a not-very-happy Dark Magician Girl!

"SEND ME TO THE GRAVEYARD WILL YOU!?" Rikku shouted as she then chased him through the graveyard.

"Get away from me you crazy harpy!" Kaiba shouted then slapped his hand on his forehead. "What am I doing…I have the same attack points as her!" Kaiba turned around and fired his bats at her.

"Oh you want to play that way, huh?" Rikku fired from her wand, destroying the bats. This fight continued until a faint look appeared on Rikku's face, as if she saw a ghost... "Uhh…"

"What now, Rikku…" Kaiba turned around and there he was. "The Reaper of the Cards!"

"I think now's a good time to run!" Rikku suggested in fear as she began to run with the Reaper following her. However, she soon tripped and fell down as the Reaper of the Cards floated over her.

"Can't we talk about this…?" She begged the fiend as she moved back, facing it. Just as he was about to hit her with his Scythe, the bats few at him which knocked him down. Rikku's eyes went wide. "Setty!"

"Don't call me 'Setty!'" The CEO-turned-Vampire Lord said.

"You saved me…" Rikku said in awe as she went for a hug, perhaps Kaiba did have a heart.

"Don't touch me…" Kaiba moved out of the way.

"Sorry…" Rikku smiles sheepishly, then her face expression turned to fear as the Reaper of the Cards was back.

"What now…" Kaiba turned around, "You got to be kidding me!"

Yugi and Yami Bakura began to draw 5 new cards. From Yugi's side, the cards he drew were: Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Magician of Faith, Wingweaver, and Cyber Commander, and Marie the Fallen One. "Through Cyber Jar's special ability I summon Magician of Faith [300/400] and Cyber Commander [750/700] in attack mode…"

"Not again…" Tea muttered after she found herself once again in the Magician of Faith's clothes.

"He just _had_ to do this again." Tristan said, holding his gun. "Well…at least he doesn't have any monsters on the field…"

"Yet…" Yugi corrected his friend. "I just activated Cyber Jar's special ability. Now it's the spirit's turn to draw 5 cards. If any of those cads are monster cards with four or less stars, they're automatically special summoned.

"That's not good…

Bakura also had five cards in his hand: Cyber Stein, Guardian Angel Joan, Nekogal #2, Harpy Lady Sisters, and Bright Castle. "Looks like your friends have made it onto the field, but they won't stay there for long. Through Cyber Jar's effect, I summon Cyber Stein [700/500] on the field!

The machine warrior appeared on the field as Bakura grinned. "And now, I'll activate Cyber Stein's Special ability. By paying 5000 life points, I can summon any fusion monster from my fusion deck, without the use of the specific material monsters and a Polymerization card. And I know which one to summon: Flame Swordsman [1800/1600]!

Yugi: 7500

Y. Bakura: 3000

"Oh no…" Yugi said. This was just like the last time they dueled in the Shadow Realm as their souls were placed in the cards. If Tristan and Tea were once again Cyber Commander and Magician of Faith…

"Where am I?" Joey wondered as he stood. He then looked down at his clothes. "Oh no, not again!" He looked as he then saw a giant (To him) Yugi, and Tristan and Tea in front of him. "Hey guys if yer there, dat must mean that I-Gahh!" From behind he saw the Giant-sized Yami Bakura.

"How tragic! Now your best friend is on my side!" The Yami smirked. "What to do what to do…Hmm…I'll play this spell card Ring of Magnetism! It'll weaken Wheeler by 500 points, but all of your attacks from now on will be directed to him."

"What the-AHH!" Joey looked down as he then saw a neon green metal ring on his finger which was using his life force to direct any future attack towards him, [1300/1100].

"Hold on, Tomb Robber! It's still my turn!" Yugi reminded as he then played a card from his hand. "I now play Polymerization which I'll use to fuse two cards in my hand: Marie The Fallen One and The Forgiving Maiden, to form St. Joan [2800/2000]!"

The Forgiving Maiden and Marie The Fallen One appeared as they proceeded to merge together to form the warrior-like fairy. However, she looked a bit different…

"Hmm…how interesting…" Yami Bakura grinned he looked at Joey had a miserable look in his face.

"Great…dis game's just gettin' worse and worse…" He said…

"Huh?" Serenity looked around and saw Tea and Tristan. "Guys, why are you dressed as Duel Monsters?"

"Umm…Serenity?" Tea called.

"And Joey, why are you dressed as the Flame Swordsman, let alone-" She gasped at the sight of Yami Bakura. "He's…he's…"

"A giant? Yeah, we know…" Joey explained. "And so is Yugi. Right now, we're all experiencing a bit of Déjà vu right now. And we don't even know where Rikku, Yuna, or even Kaiba are."

Yugi sighed, "I don't know about Yuna, but Kaiba and Rikku are both…"

"No…Kaiba…Rikku…" Tea dropped down to her knees, as if someone just struck a knife through her stomach.

"You mean that they're both in the graveyard?" Joey exclaimed.

"It's the Pharaoh's fault that they're both in the graveyard…" Yami Bakura explained. "Actually Rikku was too cocky which her reward was to be weakened. Then I ordered Kaiba to destroy her! And afterwards…let's just say that the Yugi had some involvement. At least Kaiba will be back next turn…"

"Kaiba has taken the form of Vampire Lord." Yugi informed them. He now had to think of a way to save them. If he wins the duel, he'll save everyone's souls. But it also means that he'd have to destroy Kaiba and Joey if necessary. And he didn't even know what Yuna's Soul Card was, let alone if either he or Yami Bakura had it. At least there was one thing he could do. "I activate my face down card, Call of the Haunted, which I'll use to revive my Dark Magician Girl!"

Rikku and Kaiba continued to run, with the Reaper of the Cards fresh on their trail.

'Can't she move faster than that?' Kaiba thought, behind her. 'I wish Rikku would just move, disappear or something...'

As if on cue, Rikku suddenly vanished from right in front of him.

"What the-" Kaiba was in shock, but then smirked. "Yugi must've used a monster revival card…"

Rikku continued to run, not realizing that she was back on the board.

"Rikku, you could stop running now!" Tea called out.

"Huh?" Rikku looked around as she saw the field, as well as Tea, Tristan, Serenity, and Joey, as well as the Giant-sized Yugi and Yami Bakura. "Eheheh…" She smiled as she quickly rushed back to the board.

"Welcome back Rikku!" Tristan grinned.

"Thanks. Umm…why is Joey over…" Rikku gasped, "Don't tell me…"

"No, it's not that. Let's just say that in this game, the deck is like a box of chocolates: You don't know what you're going to get."

"I see…"

"Now Tomb Robber, its time for you to get your just desserts!" Yugi declared.

"Funny…that's exactly what I was going to say." Yami Bakura grinned as he revealed three facedown cards. All of them were Just Desserts."

"Oh how I hate irony…" Joey muttered.

"Oh great…" Tristan sighed.

"This is bad…" Tea said.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked.

"Rikku, Just Deserts is a trap card that deals 500 life points worth of damage to the opponent for every monster he or she has on the field." Tristan explained.

"Let's see…" Rikku began to count. There's four of us…and three cards…That's 12. Multiply that by 500…" She panicked, once she reached the realization. "Yugi's gonna lose 6000 life points!"

Very perceptive…" The Tomb Robber grinned evilly as Yugi began to clutch his heart as his life points began to drop.

Yugi: 1500

Y. Bakura: 3000

"Are you okay Yugi?" Tristan, Tea, Rikku, Joey, and Serenity asked.

'Good thing I didn't summon a monster after reviving Rikku or it would've cost me the duel…' Yugi thought as he looked towards the "Duel Monsters," "I'm okay…" Now Yugi had half the life points Yami Bakura had. One false move and he was finished. He could send Rikku and Serenity to take out Joey and Cyber Stein. 3800 – 2000 = 1800 lifepoints of damage. Then Yami Bakura would have 1200 life points left. Then with Tea and Tristan's follow up attack he would deal 1050 life points worth of damage to win the duel, but unfortunately they were playing Duelist Kingdom Rules, so he couldn't attack directly. That meant he'd have to attack Kaiba when he is revived the next turn, but who's to say that the Tomb Robber wouldn't summer a card which enough attack points to take out the rest of his lifepints by attacking Tea who is now the Magician of Faith, the weakest monster Yugi had on his side of the field. Yugi looked into his deck.

Yugi looked into his hand to see what he had in his hand, just incase there was another way: United We Stand, Hercules Beetle, Wingweaver, Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Thousand Knives, Swords of Revealing Light, and Gamble. Wait a minute: United We Stand increases a monster's attack and defense points by 800 for each monster its controller had on the field, including itself. That would mean a 3200 life point increase to either Rikku or Serenity would give them more than enough life points to finish the duel. But then that would mean, thanks to the effect of Ring of Magnetism, Joey would have to be destroyed. Yami Bakura must have planned this from the get go! He knew that Yugi wouldn't be able to attack his longtime friend if it meant Joey being destroyed, as he must have saw through Bakura's mind during his duel with Kaiba on top of Pegasus' castle.

"Forgive me Joey…" Yugi sighed, not really having much of a choice, "Serenity, listen to me carefully! I am in a duel with the Spirit of the Millennium Ring for all of our souls. And you have taken the form of St. Joan."

Serenity looked down as she saw her self holding a sword and her clothes were different. "Okay…"

"And now…I know this is going to be tough for you, Serenity, but either you or Rikku are going have to attack Joey, thanks to the effect of Yami Bakura's Ring of Magnetism."

"What?" Serenity replied in shock, as well as Joey. But he sighed, knowing that it was for a good cause that he be the sacrificial lamb to slaughter. It would be better if one of them lost rather than everyone.

"In order to win this duel, we're going to have to take him out in one turn, with the help of the spell card, United We-"

"No!" Serenity responded harshly.

"Serenity we have no choice!" Yugi tried to explain.

"NO!"

"Come on, Sis…" Joey sighed. "It's the only way…"

Serenity closed her eyes as she shook her head. "NO! I won't do it, Big Brother!"

"Please Serenity, there's no other way..." Tea pleaded.

"I will not hurt Joey!"

"Serenity, listen to what Yugi's saying!" Tristan tried to explain, but Serenity would have none of it.

"I know what he's saying, and I'm not going to attack Joey!"

"Serenity, listen. In order to save our souls, we have to help Yugi no matter what."

"Not if it means we have to hurt Joey!" Serenity simply said.

"Okay, if you feel guilty about attacking Joey, I'll do it." Rikku offered, believing that there was no choice but to attack Joey.

"NO!"

"Come on, Reni! We have to! Joey would want it this way!" Rikku placed her plea.

"I'LL NEVER LET YOU ATTACK HIIM, NEVER!" Serenity snapped, tears running through her eyes. "I WILL NEVER KILL JOEY, LET ALONE LET ANYONE ELSE DO SO! AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT YOU'LL SAY OR DO TO MAKE ME!"

* * *

Poor Serenity…now in order to save everyone souls, Yugi must attack with either Serenity as St. Joan or Rikku as Dark Magician Girl equipped with United We Stand that could win them the duel. That includes attacking Joey because of Yami Bakura's Ring of Magnetism. Will Serenity go through with it and help Yugi defeat Yami Bakura and rescue their souls, even if it means destroying her brother? I'm not exactly sure about the Rules for Duelist Kingdom tournaments. I know that they had 2000 life points, no tributes were necessary, and they couldn't attack directly, but I could be wrong…

Preview for Next Chapter:

"Fryd eh Spira ec dryd? (What in Spira is that?)" Brother asked, freaked out.

This somewhat appeared familiar to Mokuba. "It looks like…Shadow Realm magic."

The Al-Bhed boys turned to Mokuba.

Mokuba explained. "I've seen this before, and I can tell you that it's not good…"

"I don't care! My Yuna and Tea are in trouble!" Brother snapped as he proceeded to charge into to orb.

**Chapter 13:** Win and Lose, or Lose Everything?


	13. Win And Lose, Or Lose Everything?

Now it's time to give out props to you, the reviewer, like they're going out of style:

**Magicman/Smokegirl** – You do have a point, after all Joey _did_ tell her to go with it, but will she actually listen? Find out!

**PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00** – Well, as we in the business say, it happens! The question is: Will she learn from it?

**Lady D 10290()** – Glad ya like the torture Yami gave Logos and Ormi. Now I kinda wish LeBlanc would've shown up too so she could've been tortured to make it perfect. Anyways, if you think Kaiba's growing a soft side for Rikku now, just wait until next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 13: **Win and Lose, or Lose Everything?

Serenity closed her eyes. "I won't do it…I won't do it…I won't do it…" She muttered to herself repeatedly as her hands were shaking barely gripping her sword.

"Serenity, listen to me…" Tristan tried to explain but was pushed back by Serenity.

"No! I'm through listening!" Serenity snapped. "I hate you Tristan! Joey's supposed to be your best friend, and what do you do? You're ready to kill him. And you, Tea! You have all these talks about Friendship and being there for each other! Where's that now that Joey's life is now on the line, huh?" Tears began to run down from her eyes as she turned a hateful glare to Yugi. "And you! My brother nearly killed himself to save you at the docks, remember? When the anchor dropped and you sacrificed your life to save Joey? Well Joey saved you, not thinking of himself for one moment!" She closed her eyes. "Thank God I managed to reach my brother in time with the key to free him from the shackles… And now you're going to kill him like he's a lamb in the slaughter house? No way… I'm not going to do it, or let anyone else for that matter… I REFUSE TO HAVE A PART IN BEING MY BROTHER'S KEEPER!"

Rikku walked over, grabbed Serenity by her armor, and slapped her across the face. "Calm down!" She snapped. "Listen to me! We are all in trouble! I may not have known Joey long enough, but I found him to be a great friend. He makes me laugh, and he showed me how a brother _should_ treat his sister instead of ignoring her for their cousin. And from hearing all the stories of what you all have been through, I'd say that you have no right to question their friendship with Joey! Got that?"

"You don't understand Rikku! I can't let my brother get destroyed, not when we're starting to know each other again…" She sighed. "When we were younger, our parents got a divorce and my mother took me away with her. She left Joey all alone with our deadbeat father. Then when Joey had the money for my operation, my mother came around and we moved back to Domino. We moved in with Joey and kicked out that creep of a father of ours. We charged him for child abuse and everything. And now…" Serenity began to cry, "Just as we're becoming a family again, Joey's life is on the line…"

Yugi sighed, knowing how hard it must be for Serenity. As much as it hurt Serenity, as well as everyone else, this was the only sure way to defeat Yami Bakura. If Yugi won, all the souls would be restored, which should include the ones in the graveyard. But then again, it wasn't like the Tomb Robber to keep his word. But then again what choice did he have?"

Yami Bakura, smirked at Yugi. "I should inform you that if any of your friends are unfortunately sent to the graveyard after the game ends, regardless of who wins, their souls are gone forever.

"Now I'm definitely not going to go through with it." Serenity declared. The thought of killing her brother was bad enough, but now that the fact that then his soul would be gone after Yugi's victory, as well as Kaiba's soul? If Serenity wasn't against it before, she sure as hell wasn't now.

Meanwhile, back at Guadosalam, Brother, Buddy, Mokuba, and Shinra headed towards the Farplane. Ever since Yuna's last transmission, which ended in some type of attack, everyone was worried. Especially Brother and Mokuba…

---------------------Flashback---------------------

"This is Brother, can you hear me?" Brother asked through the newly-replaced commsphere. Prior to their arrival, Shinra requested that Rikku took the new commsphere and replaced the damaged one, much thanks to Kaiba, with a new one. Right now, they were testing it.

Much to everyone's horror, they saw Yami Bakura, through the flash of the Millennium Ring, steal the souls of everyone, save for Yugi who wasn't there.

"SETO!" Mokuba cried.

"TEA, YUNAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Brother screamed!

On the Sphere, Yami Bakura looked around as he then spotted the Commsphere. "What in the name of Ra?" He walked over to it and examined it, then grinned. "In case you fools are watching through this…this…monstrosity. I'd advise you not try to save them. Or you'll be in for something much worse…" With that, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring stomped on the Transphere, destroying it.

"Not again…" Shinra sighed. First Kaiba, now this guy! Something had to be done about the destruction of the Commspheres.

"No time to talk about your Commspheres Shinra!" Mokuba reminded. "Seto's in trouble!"

"And more importantly TEA AND YUNA ARE IN TROUBLE!" Brother screamed, causing Buddy to sigh.

"Just give it up man, they're not interested." He said.

"Crid ib! (Shut up!)" Brother hissed.

-----------------------End Flashback-------------------------

They made it to the Farplane. Much to their shock, the entrance into the actual plane was blocked off by what appeared to be a dark purple plasma-like orb.

"Fryd eh Spira ec dryd? (What in Spira is that?)" Brother asked, freaked out.

This somewhat appeared familiar to Mokuba. "It looks like…Shadow Realm magic."

The Al-Bhed boys turned to Mokuba.

Mokuba explained, remembering Yami Marik's duels in the Battle City Finals. "I've seen this before, and I can tell you that it's not good…"

"I don't care! My Yuna and Tea are in trouble!" Brother snapped as he proceeded to charge into to orb.

"Brother wait!" The others called out, but it was too late as Brother rushed inside. What shocked them was that as soon as Brother came in, he quickly came out the same way as he entered.

Brother blinked. "U tyr'd mega drec… (I don't like this…)" He muttered.

Buddy pondered, "You try to go through and you'll just go out the same way..."

"Whoever did this made it obviously to keep us out, and the others in." Shinra hypothesized.

Mokuba nodded. "That makes sense…" He then sighed, "Seto…"

Yugi was debating himself if he should go along with it. With United We Stand equipped to either Dark Magician Girl (Rikku) or St. Joan (Serenity), an attack on any of Yami Bakura's monsters would win him the duel. But then again, Kaiba's and, thanks to the spirit's spell card Ring of Magnetism, Joey's soul will be lost. There had to be another way, without having to attack Joey. Of course he could attack Cyber Stein to win, but Ring of Magnetism's effect would just direct the attack at Joey.

Yami Bakura smirked, "Well isn't this interesting Pharaoh? You seem to have a dilemma on you hands: Attack now and you'll win. But you'll lose the souls of Joey and Kaiba. But if you don't, next turn Kaiba, through the special ability of his soul card, will be revived. And since you only have 1500 life points left to my 3000, I could have him attack your Magician of Faith, Tea, and win this duel and all of your Millennium Items. As well as your souls will trap in the shadow realm for eternity!"

The spirtYugi looked into his hand once again to see what he had in his hand, just incase there was another way: United We Stand, Hercules Beetle, Wingweaver, Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Thousand Knives, Swords of Revealing Light, and Gamble. He then blinked. Maybe there was a plan after all.

"What will it be, Yugi?" The spirit impatiently asked.

He looked towards Bakura. "I've decided…" Yugi now picked up a card from his hand.

"I'm sorry Joey…" Serenity dropped to her knees as she began to cry, fearing that there was no other way to get around it.

"It's okay…" Joey looked up to Yugi, a teary-eyed Rikku, Tristan, and Tea bawling into Tristan's chest. "It's been fun guys! Tristan?"

Tristan looked up, tears in his eyes. "Yeah…buddy…?"

"Take care of Serenity for me, will ya pal?" Joey requested.

"I will…"

Joey then looked toward his sister. "And Serenity?"

"Yes Joey…" She bawled.

"Listen to Tristan and most importantly…take care of yerself…" He sighed.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Yugi declared.

"Huh?" This caught the attention of everyone who was on the field, especially Joey as he was now surrounded by light swords.

"This should keep you at bay for 3 turns." Yugi announced. 'And hopefully find a card that can help me defeat the spirit and save Joey and Kaiba. He knew that the real Bakura would be the change of heart, but that hasn't been played yet. And what Yuna's soul card was still was unknown, so at the moment both of them were safe. Kaiba would be back around Yami Bakura's next turn as he'll have three turns to find the right card.

"Way to go Yugi!" Tristan cheered.

"Yeah Yuge!" Joey cheered as well.

Serenity looked up and saw that her brother has not been destroyed. "Thank you Yugi…"

"I end my turn, so make your move!" Yugi challenged.

"First of all, a welcoming back is in order…" The Tomb Robber reminded.

Kaiba, meanwhile was deeply exhausted and was slowed to a crawl as the Reaper of the cards came closer. "Man…is there no end with this guy?" He wondered as the reaper held up its scythe. 'I'm doomed…' He thought as he closed his eyes as the scythe came close…

"Welcome back, my Vampire Lord!" The spirit said.

"What?" Kaiba opened his eyes to see himself back on the field, and found himself surrounded by the swords.

"Setty! Are you okay?" Rikku asked, remembering how he saved her life from the Reaper of the Cards earlier.

"I've felt better. And don't call me Setty!" He replied.

"Heh, nice for you to show up, Kaibs!" Joey grinned.

Kaiba looked at Joey's Flame Swordsman outfit as he then snickered, "Nice outfit Dork!"

"Back at 'cha Dracula!" Joey replied.

"Now that Kaiba's back, let's get back to your dilemma, Pharaoh." Yami Bakura smirked as he drew a card. A grin then formed on his face. "I place one card facedown. You only have 3 turns to make your decision if you're going to save Joey or destroy him to save the others. Otherwise, you'll have to face the consequences. I end my turn."

"Whatever…" Yugi drew a card. Unfortunately, it was the monster card Crawling Dragon #1.

"I hope you drew the right card!"

"I end my turn without playing a card" Yugi sighed.

"I'll make this decision easy for you Yugi: Finish Wheeler off!" Kaiba said.

"YER LUCKY I'M BEING BINDED BY THESE SWORDS YA JERK!" Joey snapped, as the "monsters" on Yugi's side of the field gives Kaiba a glare.

"It's not like Wheeler's worth anything!" Kaiba said. "He's just a mediocre duelist who's a disgrace to society and the human race!"

Rikku glared, "Just when he shows that he's not such a heartless jerk, he messes up, big time!"

"Tell me about it…" Tea muttered.

Serenity just glared. "I hate you…"

"It looks as if there's a little dissension in the ranks." Yami Bakura noted, amused as he drew a card. "I summon Dunames Dark Witch [1800/1050] in Attack Mode." The Fairy-Type Light-Attribute Witch flew from the light as she was summoned to the field. "And since I can't do anything, thanks to these blasted swords, I end my turn."

"My move!" Yugi drew again, as everyone watched on, wondering if he's going to draw the right card. Much to Yugi's, and consequently everyone else's dismay, it wasn't the card they needed. But then again, it may come in handy. "I end my turn by placing one card facedown."

"Yugi, just get rid of Wheeler! It's better to get rid of one dog then to risk everyone else's life." Kaiba advised, much to disgust of everyone.

"If anyone gets on my case for not exactly being the first one to help whenever Kaiba gets into trouble… I WILL SEND THEM TO A ONE-WAY TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL!" Joey snapped.

The spirit drew a card. "Last chance Pharaoh…I now place one card facedown, then end my turn! Now it's decision time." He said as the swords disappeared from around Joey, Kaiba, Cyber Stein, and Dunames Dark Witch.

"Which will it be Yugi: Wheeler, or everyone?" Kaiba demanded coldly.

"Come on Yuge…" Joey said, hoping that Yugi find something that would save him.

"We're counting on you…" Tristan said.

"Here's hoping…" Rikku added.

"We believe in you, Yugi!" Tea finished.

"Yugi…please save my brother…" Serenity pleaded.

"This is it…" Yugi said to himself as he drew the card. Everything was riding on this last draw. He then looked at his card as he then sighed in defeat.

"Let me guess Pharaoh: You didn't get the card that you wanted."

Kaiba smirked at Joey. "Hmph…Tough luck Wheeler…"

"Go to hell Kaiba." He muttered.

"Actually…" Yugi informed as he then showed a grin, "I'm disappointed that this duel has to end!"

"WHAT!?" Yami Bakura's eyes went wide in shock, but what was for more: That Yugi managed to draw the right card, or that his own words were being used against him.

"First, I activate my facedown card: Royal Decree! This will prevent you from using any trap cards you may have in mind to stop my next move."

"You're bluffing!"

"Behold: Harpy's Feather Duster!" Yugi announced, much to the delight of everyone else, save for Kaiba who just smirked and the Spirit of the Millennium Ring who was irate!

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" He shouted.

"Oh it's possible!" Yugi said as a strong wind began to blow in the spirit's direction. "Harpy's Feather Duster will destroy all of your spell and trap cards, including your Ring of Magnetism that you have on Joey, restoring his attack and defense points, and more importantly won't be drawn to our attacks!"

"A'right!" Joey cheered as Kaiba just looked at him.

"You are so lucky Wheeler…" He said as the ring on Joey finger was gone as his attack and defense points were restored to normal [1800/1600].

"And now to deliver the final blow!" Yugi announced as Serenity and Rikku were deciding who should have the honor.

"You go ahead." Rikku suggested.

"No, you go ahead." Serenity suggested.

"Seriously Reni, you have the honor!"

"I'm flattered Rikku, but it is best that you do it instead of me."

"Okay!" Rikku chirped as she looked at Yugi. "Pump me up!"

"Now, I equip the spell card United We Stand to my Dark Magician Girl which, by the combined power of Cyber Commander, St. Joan, and Magician of Faith, as well as her own, will increase her attack power by 3200, giving her a total of 5200 attack points!"

The energies of Tristan, Tea, and Serenity flowed through Rikku as she grinned. "I can feel the power!" She said.

"Now Dark Magician Girl, attack his Cyber Stein now!" Yugi ordered.

"You got it, Yug!" Rikku winked. "And now for some Rikku-Brand Dark Magic goodness."

'She's worse than Wheeler…' Kaiba thought then shouted. "JUST ATTACK ALREADY!"

"Alright alright…spoilsport…" Rikku thrusted her wand at the Machine Monster, "Dark Burning Attack!" A burst of energy fired from her wand as Cyber Stein was completely obliterated, as well as Yami Bakura's life points…

Yugi: 1500

Y.Bakura: 0

"A'right! Rikku!" Joey ran across the board to give her a high five.

"Who's my main girl?" Tristan joined in the celebration.

"You did it Rikku!" Tea cheered.

"It's over, Tomb Robber! Now the souls of my friends will be returned to their bodies!" Yugi declared to the defeated Tomb Robber. "And as for you…" The eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. "Never again shall you see the light of day!"

"You're a fool Yugi…" Yami Bakura reminded with a sadistic grin, "You forget that I am the darkness! I will come back one day! And when I do, your Millennium Puzzle, Necklace, and Rod will be mine!"

"Talk about a sore loser…" Rikku scoffed

"Save it for the Shadow Realm Tomb Robber, MIND CRUSH!" Yugi thrust his arm out as a flash then emitted.

"Tea, Yuna, I'M COMING!" Brother tried going through the portal again, refusing to believe that they really couldn't access them, but once again, he was brought back to where he started.

"Give it up man…" Buddy advised as Shinra and Mokuba nodded.

"How can I rest when Yuna and my Dancing Goddess are in danger!?" Brother scornfully asked.

Mokuba blinked. "Dancing Goddess?"

"It's a long story." Buddy explained.

"Hey guys, look!" Shinra pointed out as the plasma-like orb began to disappear. In it's place was their friends laying on the ground unconscious save for Yugi who quickly checked on the fallen body of Tea.

"YUNAAAAAAA!" Brother quickly ran to the reviving Yuna. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay…" She said, then looked around and saw the others reviving. "How about you guys?"

"I had a strange dream about all of us bein' trapped into a duel with us bein' Duel Monstas as Yugi and that evil Spirt of Bakura's were dueling for our souls.. Kaiba and I were on the Spirit's side while everyone else was with Yugi…except you and Bakura Yuna."

"That was no dream…" Tea rubbed her head. "It really happened."

"Yeah…Where were you, Yunie?" Rikku asked her cousin as she brushed off the outfit she was currently borrowing from Tea.

"Umm…I can't remember." Yuna admitted.

"Hi guys!" Bakura walked up to them, smiling. "Everyone okay?"

Brother walked up to Bakura. "Erm…Bakura?"

Bakura blinked. "Hmm?"

"May I see that Millennium Ring of yours?"

"I don't see why not…" He shrugged as he took off the ring and gave it to Brother.

"Hmm…" Brother examined the golden ring, but then clutched it hard. "Cyo kuutpoa du dra nehk! (Say goodbye to the ring!)" Brother, as far as he could tossed it as far as he could into the farplane.

"Brother wait!" Bakura called out as it was too late. The ring was already thrown into the unknown parts of the Farplane.

"What was the point of throwing the ring into the deeper parts of the plain?" Tea asked.

"Simple: So Bakura will never have the ring again. Thus he won't be possessed, and then-"

"It won't work man." Tristan informed. "I tried the same thing."

"Well…at least now I won't be possessed again…" Bakura smiled as Kaiba scoffed.

"Let's go." Kaiba walked off, "The sooner I don't have to hear about these ridiculous fairytales, the better!"

"Kaiba wait-" Yugi was interrupted by an alarm-like signal from Buddy's comlink on his wrist.

"The signal's picking up an intruder on the Celsius!" He explained as he began to run off. "Gullwings, we're leaving!"

The rest of he Gullwings followed, Yugi and co. was about to follow as well, but Kaiba cut them off.

"It's not our problem. We have the transphere so let's put this garbage into the past and leave!" Kaiba suggested.

"Sorry Kaiba, we can't leave now!" Yugi said as he ran off, followed by the rest of them.

"Besides…" Tea added. "Even if I wanted to leave my stuff is still on the Celsius."

"Fine…" Kaiba muttered as he and Mokuba were the only ones left into the farplane. "I guess it'll only be us going home, Mokuba."

"But Seto, we should help the Gullwings, Yugi, and his friends."

"Look Mokuba, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, got it?" Kaiba said as he took out the Transphere.

"Well Seto…" Mokuba looked at his brother as he then glared. "Suit yourself!"

"Mokuba wait!" Kaiba called out as Mokuba ran off to follow the others. "Mokuba!!" He then sighed as he ran after his brother, "Alright then…"

"Any idea who the intruder is Tea?" Joey asked.

"Not a clue. It could be the LeBlanc Syndicate for all we know." She answered as they left Guadosalam and went to the Thunder Plains: The location of the Celsius.

"Nice weather we're having…" Serenity said as she saw the dark skies. "I'm surprised that it's not-JOEY!" She squealed, clinging on to Joey when a lightning bolt hit the thunder tower near them.

"Relax Serenity, the lightning won't hit you." Tea explained. "These towers will just draw the lightning towards the rods at the top. These were just repaired and collaborated just recently."

"That's good…" Joey said, remembering the lightning bolt that struck him down during his duel in the Battle City finals. "Now Serenity could ya please stop squeezin' my arm?" He asked, picturing his arm becoming numb.

"Sorry…" Serenity nervously laughed.

"Look, there it is!" Yugi pointed out the Gullwings' red airship as they proceed to go on...

"Wait!"

They look back and see Mokuba, with Kaiba just behind him. "Look, let's go find the so-called intruder so we can be done with this place!" Kaiba hissed.

"Kaiba, dealing with intruders isn't that simple. For all we know they could be terrorists." Tristan reminded.

"Terrorists?" Kaiba shook his head, not really wanting to deal with this. "That's it I'm going to open the portal back to Domino with this transphere. If you want to go home, I suggest that you come now!" Much to his dismay, they all entered the Celsius. "ALRIGHT FINE, YOU FIND YOUR OWN WAY HOME!" Kaiba yelled, but they didn't seem to care. Not even Mokuba. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" He muttered as he boarded the Celsius.

At the bridge, Yuna's group was in battle position: Yuna had her pistols out, Rikku had her blades out, and the rest of them decided to wing it and use their fists.

"Alright, you have 3 seconds! Who are you and what do you want?" She asked, not in the mood for games.

"Yeah!" Rikku added. "I've just been transformed back from card and I'm not in the mood for games, got it?"

"Calm now you two. I'll be sure to explain everything." The intruder said in a voice which was very familiar to Yugi's group, who were now entering. Especially Yugi and Kaiba.

"It can't be…" Kaiba exclaimed…

"PEGASUS!?"

* * *

Well, I would ask who didn't see that one coming, but then again who didn't see that one coming? I decided to bring Pegasus to Spira because after all, with the Duel Monsters craze in Spira, it was only fitting that the Creator of Duel Monsters made an appearance. Anyways, people are wondering why Yuna and Bakura didn't make an appearance in the game. It would've been obvious what Bakura's soul card was, thus the result would've turn out the same as the first time. And as for Yuna? Remember when I asked you to guess which card she picked when they were first getting cards? Well, I sort of wanted to keep that as a surprise. I may have dropped hints of the card in past chapters, but if you figure it out, don't say so in your reviews, just say something like "I know what card it is" or something. 

Next Chapter:

"Pegasus? Here?" Mokuba's eyes were wide. "But how?"

He grinned. "Well if it isn't Kaiba-Boy, Yugi-Boy, Joey-Boy and all of their-"

"Save it Pegasus!" Kaiba hissed. "How is it possible that you're even here!?"

**Chapter 14:** Meeting The Creator! An Al-Bhed Duel: Rikku vs. Brother!


	14. Meeting The Creator!  The Al Bhed Duel: ...

Thanks for the reviews:

Lady D 10290() – Just see what happens in the Duel.

Magicman/Smokegirl – Thanks for the idea, but I've taken your first idea about the Painful Choice/Backup Soldier combo into consideration, but won't be used together as this duel will be an interesting one.

IMPROVED Uber Rei Model 00 – Yes, that Yami won't be taking over Bakura anymore. As for the quick-updating thing, it'll be only a one-trick pony in this story. I'll explain at the end of this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 14: **Meeting the Creator! The Al Bhed Duel: Rikku vs Brother!

"Pegasus? Here?" Mokuba's eyes were wide. "But how?"

He grinned. "Well if it isn't Kaiba-Boy, Yugi-Boy, Joey-Boy and all of there friends!"

"Save it Pegasus!" Kaiba hissed. "How is it possible that you're even here!?"

Rikku asked aside to Tea. "You know this guy?"

"The creator of Duel Monsters, you could say that. He's the one who kidnapped Yugi's Grandpa's soul, just so he can go get Yugi's Millenium Item to help bring back his wife. He did the same thing to Kaiba and Mokuba's soul." She explained.

"Come now, Kaiba-Boy! Let's settle this in a civilized manner, shall we?" Pegasus suggested. "Anyways, after I failed to obtain the Millennium Puzzle, as we as losing the Millennium Eye, I went into depression. Then, one night, I had a dream which I saw my dear Cecilia. We've talked for a while and she told me to just live on with my life and stop grieving her death, but then she'd said that she would never forget me."

"Look, we don't want to hear about your fairytales." Kaiba hissed. "I already had my fill of them already!"

Pegasus glared at Kaiba then continued, "So then one day, I was thinking about what new cards I could create for Duel Monsters until I came across a very particular item. It was a like an electric sphere shaped one to be exact."

"The Transphere!" Yugi and Kaiba said at the same time.

"Yes. I pressed a small button on the bottom, and that's how I got here." Pegasus concluded. "And I had also created new cards that will shortly be up on the market!"

"What cards…" Kaiba glared.

"Rikku?" Tea called her.

She came over. "Yeah, Teyi?"

"Can I talk to you?" She asked.

"Sure."

The two girls left the bridge and walked into the hallway.

"Okay Teyi, what's up?" Rikku asked.

"I decided that I'm going to go back home. To go back to Domino." She said.

Rikku blinked, definitely not expecting this. "Really!? Why?"

"Just look at what's happened. I mean, the way Kaiba treated you, and after what the Spirit in Bakura's Millennium Item done? This wouldn't have happened if I never left Domino in the first place."

"Teyi…"

"You remember the reason why I left in the first place?" Tea reminded. "It's because I thought that my friend could care less about me. But now, I found out that it was just a misunderstanding. Rikku, I love what you've done for me. You made me a sphere hunter, and showed me the cool Garment Grid, and I love you for that."

"No, I love you for what you did for me! You introduced me to an awesome game, introduced me to your friends. And the best thing of all…"

"Yeah?"

"You introduced me to Setty!" Rikku chirped, which cause a sigh from Tea.

"Rikku…"

"Hey, Seto Kaiba can be a major jerk! But he can be nice and thoughtful too…when he wants to."

"Good point." Tea giggled with a smile. "Although Joey and Tristan may…scratch that, I know Joey and Tristan will definitely disagree…"

"THIS TIME YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR PEGASUS!" The girls heard Kaiba's loud voice from the door.

"What do you think is going on?" Rikku asked Tea.

"With Kaiba, who knows." Tea said as they rushed back inside to see Yuna and Yugi's eyes wide, Brother, Joey, and Tristan snickering, Kaiba fuming, and everyone else sighing at Kaiba's actions.

"Take it easy Kaiba." Shinra advised.

"NO I WILL NOT TAKE IT EASY!" Kaiba snapped at Al Bhed boy.

"What's wrong Kaiba?" Tea asked.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG!?" Kaiba responded. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT'S WRONG! IT'S BAD ENOUGH WHAT PEGASUS DID TO ME AT DUELIST KINGDOM, BUT THIS THE WORST!" Kaiba threw a card at the girls, which Rikku caught in her hand and began to examine it.

"It's the newest and first Toon Fusion monster!" Pegasus proudly said. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon!" That caused the laughing trio to laugh even louder.

Mokuba blinked, "It's not that funny guys…"

"DON'T YOU PEOPLE SEE?" Kaiba fumed. "IT'S…IT'S…"

"Cute!" Rikku cooed, looking at the card.

Kaiba gave a glare towards Rikku. "A Blue Eyes, let alone Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon isn't suppose to be cute! It supposed to be vicious, deadly, powerful, and it suppose to bring big mouthed losing chumps to their knees!"

"That's not all of the cards I've created for the toons..." Pegasus took out another card. "Now the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon will have a friend: Behold Red Eyes Toon Dragon!"

Joey's laughter suddenly stopped at that announcement, "WHAT!? Nobody toonifies Red Eyes!"

"Now you know how I feel about Blue Eyes Toon Dragon and Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon!" Kaiba said to Joey!"

"And now with Red Eyes' toonification, comes this card!" Pegasus showed another, let alone fusion card: Toon Skull Dragon!

"It's not so funny now, isn't it Wheeler?" Kaiba said.

"It's not, but I'll get over it!" Joey shrugged.

Serenity smiled, "Who would've thought that Kaiba and Joey would agree on something?"

"Besides their disliking for each other?" Bakura added with a chuckle.

Brother meanwhile grinned. This was the perfect time to humiliate Rikku in a duel, let alone in front of the game's creator with the power of Exodia, let alone with his two new cards which would be served as "The key to Rikku's demise." "Rikku!"

She sighed, "What now?"

"I challenge you to a duel!" He declared as Shinra snickered.

"Looking to get you hiney kicked again?" He asked.

"I'm not going to get beat this time!" He snapped before returning his attention towards his sister. "We duel…now!"

Rikku sighed, "Okay…"

"This should be interesting…" Yugi said as Pegasus watched on with interest.

'Now we'll see how the people in Spira duel…' He thought to himself.

On the deck of the Celsius, Rikku and Brother stood on opposite sides with their duel disks on. Rikku told no one not to come out since it "wouldn't take long to beat him for the millionth time."

"Okay, I'm going to whip your butt one more time." Rikku said, annoyed. "This is getting old."

"It'll be your butt that willll be whipped!" Brother retorted as the life points went set.

Rikku: 8000

Brother: 8000

"Let's Duel!" They both shouted.

"First, I'll play one card face down!" Rikku says as she placed one card on in the spell/trap zone, "Then I summon Giga Tech Wolf [1200/1400] in attack mode!" A mechanical Wolf then appeared on the field. "I end my turn!"

"Okay…" Brother grinned as he drew a card, then smiled. "I now play spell card Painful Choice, which allows me to pick five cards from my deck! You then get to pick one card that I get to keep and I'll send it to the graveyard!"

"Okay, then pick the cards!" Rikku said, wanting to get this duel over with.

"Okay…" Brother grinned as he browsed through his deck. After his selection, he showed her the cards he picked which made Rikku's heart skip a beat.

"W-what? But they're…"

"The five pieces of Exodia? I'm feeling lucky today so I can afford to send these cards to the graveyard." Brother explained. "Now Rikku, take your pick!"

"Okay okay…" She said, wondering if Brother really lost it. He had five cards which, by having in his hand, could win him the duel and now he was throwing them away? Well…four of them at least.

Pegasus, who had stepped on the deck to see the Al Bhed duel, just watched on, amused. 'So Brother-Boy's going to throw away all of his Exodia cards. That's a very foolish move but then again, what if he wants the pieces of Exodia in the graveyard?'

Kaiba decided to come out and watch too, not wanting to be in the same place as "the geeks." This whole duel was familiar to him. What was that idiot Brother thinking? He's using painful choice to get rid of-wait a minute!

Rikku shrugged, if that's what he wants… "Okay then, you can keep Exodia's head! Everything else's gotta go!"

Brother discarded the Exodia pieces save for Exodia's Head, "I now end my turn by placing one monster card face down in defense mode and another card faced down on the field." Brother concluded his turn.

"Okay…" Rikku sighed as she drew another card. "I now summon Cyber-Stein [700/500] in attack mode!" She said as Cyber Stein was summoned.

Time to activate my Cyber-Stein's special ability! Just for the small price of 5000 life points, I can special summon a fusion monster from my fusion deck!" Rikku declared as her life points began to drop.

Rikku: 3000

Brother: 8000

"And with its effect, I'll summon Metal Dragon [1850/1700]!" Rikku declared as the dragon appeared on the field, joining Giga Tech Wolf and Cyber-Stein. "Now My Giga Tech Wolf, attack Brother's facedown monster!"

The mechanical wolf ran up as it then bit the card which turned out to be Exodia's Head [1000/1000], much to Rikku's shock.

"Why did you put Exodia's head on the field?" She asked.

"You'll find out soon enough…" Brother replied as Rikku finished her turn.

"Now my Metal Dragon and Cyber-Stein, attack Brother Directly!" She ordered as Metal Dragon and Cyber-Stein fired at Brother, causing him to shield himself from the blasts.

Rikku: 3000

Brother: 6450

Brother drew a card as he then gave a wide smile. "So I could play this!" He answered as he played a spell card. "Contract With Exodia! I couldn't play this card until all the pieces of Exodia were in my graveyard. Now I'll use this to summon the unbeatable, the unstoppable…"

"Just what I thought…" Kaiba said.

"The Mighty Exodia Necross [1800/0]!" Brother announced as then a gray, dead version of Exodia was summoned. "Rikku! Prepare to be hurt by the scars of defeat! Now Exodia Necross! Destroy Rikku's monster now!"

The dead version Exodia charged up as he then with a punched Cyber-Stein...

"Activate my face down card Life-Absorbing Machine! By my next standby phase, I'll get back how many life points I've paid in the previous turn! So what if I lose 1100 life points. I'll get much more next turn."

Rikku: 1900

Brother: 6450

"And don't forget my little machine dragon is still on the field! Yer Exodia Necross is finished!" Rikku chirped.

"Oh Rikku, you'll be in for such a surprise…" Brother said in a whisper as he ended his turn.

"Rikku's a fool…" Kaiba muttered. "If she thinks that she can destroy Exodia Necross just because her Metal Dragon has higher attack points, she's lying to herself."

"First…through my Life-Absorbing Machine's effect, I get 2500 life points!" Rikku said as her life points went up.

Rikku: 4400

Brother: 6450

"WHAT!?" Brother replied in shock. "How'd you?"

"Oh brother…" Kaiba muttered at Brother's stupidity.

"You remember that I paid 5000 life points to special summon Metal Dragon through Cyber-Stein's special ability? Well thanks to Life Absorbing Machine, I get back half of that amount!" Rikku grinned as she drew a card. She knew that sacrifices needed to be made as now she had less life points than Brother. But what if Brother summoned a monster with a high attack power? She'd have to prepare for that as well. "First I place two cards face down! Then I'll play the spell card Limiter Removal. This little number doubles my Metal Dragon's attack power [3700/1700]! Although my dragon will be destroyed at the end, but it's worth the sacrifice to take down your Exodia Necross!" She said as sparks began to emit from the Metal Dragon, hinting that it may have too much power to contain and it'd explode!

"Bring it on!" Brother challenged.

"Metal Dragon attack!" She ordered as the mechanical dragon fired an electric blast from its mouth at Exodia Necross, which caused Brother's Life Points to drop.

Rikku: 4400

Brother 4550

Much to her dismay, Exodia Necross was still standing as Brother began to laugh. "Rikku! You really think that just because your Dragon had a higher attack power you could beat me? One of Exodia Necross's special abilities is that he cannot be destroyed in battle.

"Aww…" Rikku moaned. "That's not fair…"

"Life's not fair, get used to it!"

"Hmm…" Pegasus thought. "Looks like Rikku's on the ropes. It's true that Exodia Necross has a few special abilities that make it _seem_ invincible, but there is one weakness."

Kaiba nodded, actually agreeing with Pegasus for once, "It's true that there are some cards that Exodia Necross is begging for. Let's just see if Rikku is duelist enough to figure out how to take down Exodia Necross."

Rikku ended her turn as her Metal Dragon then exploded, as the drawback of using Limiter Removal.

The attack points of Exodia Necross increased by 500 [2300/0] as Brother drew a card. "I now place one more card facedown and summon Yaiba Robo [1000/1300] in attack mode." He felt that the end was near for Rikku, and the fact that she knew that she couldn't do anything about it made it sweet. "Now Exodia Necross, attack Rikku directly!"

"Hold on, pal!" Rikku stopped him. "Activate Mirror Force! Now all of yer monsters are going to be destroyed by Exodia Necross's own attack."

Rikku was only half right, as Yaiba Robo was destroyed due to Mirror Force's special effect, but unfortunately for her, Exodia Necross was still standing, much to her dismay and Brother's enjoyment.

"Allow me to explain: Exodia cannot be destroyed in battle or by spell or trap cards! Face it Rikku, with this card I'm unstoppable! There's no way you can win! Not even with your precious Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Now he's acting like Gozaburo…" Kaiba seethed as he couldn't take it anymore. Brother had already annoyed Kaiba by acting like a total idiot, but now by acting like the one person he despised the most, ever more than Joey, Kaiba just wanted for him to be shut up. "Rikku!"

She looked towards Kaiba. "Huh?"

"If you want to beat Exodia Necross, you're attacking him in the wrong place!"

"CRID IB! [SHUT UP!]" Brother shouted at Kaiba. Fearing that he'll tell Rikku about Exodia Necross's one weakness.

He ignored the Al Bhed. "Attack his spirit, Rikku. That's the secret to take him down!"

Pegasus blinked at Kaiba. "Kaiba-Boy!?"

"He reminded me of Gozaburo. Anyone who even remotely reminds me of him is someone who I'll have no qualms of destroying." Kaiba simply said.

"Now, as you were doing before we were so rudely interrupted!" Brother glared at Rikku. "Exodia Necross attack Rikku's life points directly!!"

Exodia Necross made his attack with Rikku shielding herself as her life points began to drop.

Rikku: 2100

Brother: 4550

Now Rikku had to think. What did Kaiba mean by attacking the Spirit of Exodia Necross? He can't be destroyed, spell and trap cards were useless, what else could she do. The only other thing she knew that all 5 pieces of Exodia had to be in the graveyard for Exodia Necross to be summoned. Wait a minute! If the Exodia pieces needed to be in the graveyard for Exodia Necross to be summoned, what would happen if on of the pieces were no longer in the graveyard?

"Rikku! It's best to give up now, because next turn, Exodia Necross's attack power will increase again. This time Exodia Necross's attack power will go up to 2800 which will be more than enough to finish you off!"

Rikku had a smile on her face. Apparently she had a plan. "We'll just see about that! It's my turn now!" She drew a card. "First, I'm going to do something about yer Exodia Necross."

Brother laughed again, "Oui yna y vuum Rikku! (You are a fool Rikku!) Exodia Necross isn't effected by-"

"Who said I was attacking Exodia Necross?" Rikku asked. "I'm now going to borrow a card from your graveyard, thanks to this spell card Monster Reborn, which will allow me to bring back any monster sent to _either_ graveyard! Including your graveyard! Correct me if I'm wrong, but are most of the monsters in your graveyard Exodia pieces." She asked slyly as Brother was starting to sweat. "The expression on your face says it all. You're totally wetting your pants right now!"

"Oui fuimth'd! (You wouldn't!)"

"I'll borrow Exodia's head for now." Rikku smiled. "Say goodbye to Exodia Necross!"

"NO!" Brother protested as Exoida's head appeared on Rikku's side of the field. As a result, Exodia Necross began to collapse…

Kaiba smirked. "That girl's got it. Perhaps I was wrong about her. Then again, maybe I was wrong about Wheeler, not that I'll ever admit it…"

"Now I'll sacrifice Exodia's Head to Summon Machine King [2200/2000] in attack mode!" Exodia's head was gone as it was replaced by the King of Machines. "Next, I'll equip it with the Spell Card Machine Conversion Factory that'll increase its attack and defense by 300! [2500/2300] "Now Machine King…attack Brother directly!"

Brother shielded himself as Machine King attacked him directly.

Rikku: 2100

Brother: 2050

Brother gave out a chuckle as he then burst out laughing.

"Now what…" She muttered.

"It appears that Brother-Boy's lost it." Pegasus said.

"Like he hasn't already…" Kaiba muttered.

"What are you laughing about?" Rikku demanded in annoyance.

Brother laughed, "I've thought that you might find a way to defeat Exodia Necross, so I had a backup plan!"

Rikku blinked. "What do you mean!?"

"You're not the only one who can use Monster Reborn Rikku!" Brother reminded. "Now I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back Exodia's head!" He said as Exodia's head then returned to his side of the field.

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Yer using Exodia's head to attack me?"

"Who said I was going to use this to attack, or have you forgotten about my face-down cards?" Brother reminded as Rikku blinked.

Rikku was now freaked out. "Oh no…I was so worried about Exodia Necross that I completely forgot!"

"Now my face down cards, activate!" Brother's faced-down cards were revealed…First, I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device which allows me to return one monster to my hand, which I'll use to return Exodia's head to my hand!" Exodia's head disappeared as Brother placed the card back in his hand. "And now, I activate my other two trap cards, which both of them are Back-Up Solders!

"What do those trap cards do?" She asked, panicked.

"Back up soldier allows me to place up to three cards with an attack no greater than 1500 from my graveyard and back to my hand. And since I have two, I'll be able to choose up to six cards!"

"Umm…the cards you're planning to revive? They wouldn't happen to be other pieces of Exodia would it?" Rikku asked nervously.

"Thanks for reminding me! Through the effect of my Back Up Soldier, I draw four cards from my graveyard: Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One!"

"No…" Rikku cried, knowing what was coming next.

"Yes…" Brother grabbed the rest of the Exodia pieces, "And you know what happens when a player holds all five pieces, right?"

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes!" Brother placed the Exodia Pieces onto the field. "Now Exodia…reveal your self and bring me victory at once!"

The Cards on the field got into a star formation as an outline of a star mapped them together. The lines then flashed as portals began to open. First his right arm, then his left, then his right leg, then his left! Finally the portal to the head opened as then he was whole! Exodia the Forbidden One was now summoned on the field!

"Oh no…" Rikku cried. "Exodia!"

"Looks like Brother-Boy wins." Pegasus declared. "It was a close duel, though…"

Kaiba sighed, knowing how Rikku must be feeling about facing Exodia as he could remembered that was the way Yugi beat Kaiba the first time.

"I've been waiting for a long time to say this…" Brother then ordered… "Exodia…Upmedanyda! (Exodia…Obliterate!)"

Just as Exodia was about to give her the final blow, he suddenly began to feel startled, before collapsing and then exploding into pyroflies.

"Fryd!? (What!?)" The Al Bhed siblings both exclaimed at the same time as Brother checked his duel disk. Where it should display his life points, it was blinking "Malfunction!"

"NOOOOOO!" Brother cried as he dropped down to his knees. He would've won if not for that dammed malfunctioning duel disk!

"I guess it's a draw…" Pegasus said as he headed back inside. "It was a great duel…"

Kaiba scoffed, "Serves Brother right for depending on one card to win…" He said as he walked inside as well.

Rikku, meanwhile, let out a sigh. It was true that she was done for. Technically he did win, but since they were playing with the Duel Disks, just having the pieces of Exodia in his hands wasn't good enough in this case.

Inside, Tea and Yuna were dueling as Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura were reading the Al Bhed Primers in order to learn the language.

"SHIN-RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

From his computer, the young Al Bhed boy heard Brother's screaming as he sighed. "Oh boy…"

Tea looked up. "What's wrong Shinra?"

Buddy, from the navigator's seat, sighed as well. "Rikku whipped his butt again?"

"Not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised…" Shinra said as he got up to find their self-proclaimed leader, along with everyone else.

The sliding door opened as Brother stormed in, with Rikku behind…

"Cdibet beala uv zihg! (Stupid piece of junk!)" He slammed the duel disk on the steel floor, causing it to crack. "SHINRA!"

He walked up nervously. "Umm…yeah?"

"THIS STUPID DUEL DISK YOU CREATED MALFUNCTIONED, JUST WHEN I HAD EXODIA SUMMONED!" He screamed. "WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"

"Umm…I'm just a kid?" He replied.

"Hmph, my duel disks would've never had any problems…" Kaiba retorted as he walked in, after hearing Shinra's trademark (Read: tired) excuse.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. But don't expect the next one to be up very quickly as I'm going to have to start on a duel that supposed to take at least two chapters to finish. I did okay on the first duel I written up that took two chapters long, but that was because of the other events that were happening. But I'll go up for the challenge. After all, if they can make a duel last 5 episodes, I could at least try to make it last, let alone interesting for at least two chapters.

Preview for next chapter:

"Seto…remember-" Mokuba tried to remind his brother, but Kaiba cut him off.

"I remember what you told me Mokuba." Kaiba glared at Rikku. "I would appreciate it if you didn't fill my brother's head with that nonsense about this 'Sin!' That ranks as much crap as this whole High Summoner garbage! A big giant monster that killed civilizations being defeated by one Summoner!? Come on! What kind of idiot do you take me for? I'll believe that Yugi was a Pharaoh and I was a High Priest in a past life before I even question if that was real or not!"

Yuna's eyes narrowed, "You _will_ take those words back…"

"Or what, you'll summon one of your so-called Aeons against me? Ha! To these superstitious nitwits you may be the 'High Summoner that defeated Sin,' but to me you're just like everyone else: Beneath me…"

**Chapter 15:** The Duel in Luca Part 1: Kaiba vs. Yuna!


	15. The Duel In Luca Part 1: Kaiba vs Yuna!

Here a chapter, but first: The reviewers:

Lady D 10290() – Will Rikku go with Tea and the gang back to Domino? You'll just have to wait and see…

PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00 – On Kaiba getting his butt kicked? Very unlikely, but there is a high chance of him getting humiliated. Just to let you know, in the sequel Pegasus will hold a tournament that'll take place in both Spira and Domino, but a familiar evil will return and he won't be alone…

Magicman/Smokegirl – While the thought of Kaiba getting killed is a bit intriguing, but it won't happen. However, Kaiba will pay for his insensitivity…soon.

* * *

**Chapter 15: **The Duel In Luca Part 1: Kaiba vs. Yuna.

"A-hem!" Rikku cleared her throat. "I have an announcement to make."

"What now…" Kaiba muttered.

"I just like to say that after a record of 8-1-1, you're favorite thief/alchemist is going on a brief hiatus from Dueling!" Rikku announced which cause Brother to whine.

"Stop your whining…" Kaiba muttered. "Grow a set, will you!"

"Calm down Kaiba." Serenity advised.

"No, I won't calm down!" Kaiba said. "I have had enough of Spira, much less their ridiculous fairytales! I mean Aeons? High Summoners!? Sin!? The Hymn of the Faith!? Come on!"

"Seto…" Mokuba tried to get his brother to stop, but Kaiba ignored him.

"What kind fool do you take me for?"

"How about when Bakura's Yami trapped us in the Shadow Realm, Kaiba?" Joey reminded.

"Please Wheeler, that who thing was just an illusion created by Bakura to play with our heads." Kaiba stated as he gave a glare towards Bakura's direction.. "I mean let's be serious, how can anyone souls become spirits of duel monsters. That's just as ridiculous as dead people still living…wait a minute, there are dead people living isn't that right Yuna? Oh wait, they're called 'the unsent,' consisting of pyroflies of one's memories to make them still able to interact with the living. Fiends!? Aeons!? Please! I haven't seen either one of them since I got here! The only fairytale that I've seen that came true was the fact that you could actually bring a game like Duel Monster's to a place like this. I bet you all believe in the Tooth Fairy, or even the Easter Bunny!"

"Seto…remember-" Mokuba tried to remind his brother, but Kaiba cut him off.

"I remember what you told me Mokuba." Kaiba glared at Rikku. "I would appreciate it if you didn't fill my brother's head with that nonsense about this 'Sin!' That ranks as much crap as this whole High Summoner garbage! A big giant monster that killed civilizations defeated by one Summoner!? Come on! What kind of idiot do you take me for? I'll believe that Yugi was a Pharaoh and I was a High Priest in a past life before I even question if that was real or not!"

Yuna's eyes narrowed, "You _will_ take those words back…"

"Or what, you'll summon one of your so-called Aeons against me? Ha! To these superstitious nitwits you may be the 'High Summoner that defeated Sin,' but to me you're just like everyone else: Beneath me…"

At that moment, Yuna felt like taking out her pistols and firing a few rounds at Kaiba. Mocking what Rikku went through was one thing but to make a joke out of all the sacrifices she's made, all the lives lost through the crusade to stop Sin, was going too far. But then a smile formed on her face. "Okay, let's play something you're 'number one' at: Duel Monsters!" She suggests.

Kaiba scoffed, "You must be kidding. I've already duel someone from Spira and she didn't even last that long against me. Even Wheeler lasted longer than that against me, and he's a 3rd-rate amateur who relies on luck to win!"

'Must not kill Kaiba…' Joey said to himself mentally. 'Must not kill person that should be silenced….MUST NOT KILL OR I WOULD GO TO JAIL FOR KILLING SOMEONE WHO SHOULD BE SILENCED!'

"Then why don't you accept my challenge that is unless of course, you're afraid that a 'duelist from Spira' could beat you, eh?" Yuna challenged.

Kaiba smirked, "You actually think that you can beat me? What a joke."

"No Kaiba…I _know_ I can beat you."

"Alright then, but why don't we duel somewhere other than the top of this airship. Somewhere a bit more interesting! Somewhere like, say, Luca Stadium!"

"Luca?"

"That's right!" Kaiba explained, "A duel this big deserves a bigger audience then the one here. An audience the size of…let's say, all of Spira? After all, who wouldn't want a seat at a special even of seeing the 'High Summoner who defeated Sin' up against the World Champion of Duel Monsters?" His then gave a dark smile, "Plus it'll be an opportunity to prove once and for all that people like you are a waste of time and could never be a duelist at a status as mine!"

"Champion? I may not have been around in Domino, much less Battle City, but weren't you the one who lost in the Semi Finals of your own tournament?" Shinra reminded.

Kaiba glared at the young Al Bhed boy, "That wasn't an official championship match so technically I'm still World Champion!" He turned his attention to Yuna. "So _Lady_ Yuna. Are we going to Luca or not, or are you going put your tail between your legs and back down." Kaiba asked saying "Lady" with a cold and harsh manner.

"Alright!" She said before turning to Brother and Buddy. "Set course for Luca!"

Brother's eyes went wide, "Fryd!? Yuna yna oui lnywo!? (What!? Yuna are you crazy!?)"

"E's caneuic Brother! Cad luinca vun Luca ruf! (I'm serious Brother! Set course for Luca now!)" She replied in Al Bhed, much to Tea's shock.

'And before everyone got here I thought she and I were the only ones who couldn't speak Al Bhed…' She thought. Tea at one point has heard Paine speak Al Bhed in an argument with Rikku but never heard Yuna speak the language. But then again, her cousin _was_ an Al Bhed

"Yunie!" Rikku ran up to Yuna. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah…" Tea added. "The only one who has ever actually beaten Kaiba is Yugi."

"I'm up to it." Yuna assures. "It may be hard, but I'm always up for a challenge."

"Even though ya still sorta just gotten into dueling?" Joey asked.

"Yep."

"And Kaiba's a pro?" Tristan added.

"Yep."

"And probably has cards that you've never seen or heard of?" Serenity added as well.

"Yep."

Mokuba walked up to Yuna. "Yuna, no disrespect, but Seto's really good. I don't think it's a good idea to take on my brother."

"I have too…" Yuna said. "My honor and pride depends on it."

"Hmph…Honor and pride?" Kaiba scoffed. "You should've listened to Mokuba. Because once I've crushed you, your honor and pride will be the least of your worries."

Pegasus, meanwhile was being amused. "Lady Yuna, please allow me and my company, Industrial Illusions to promote this duel, as this is a perfect opportunity to make a Spira branch. And I like to offer a partnership with the Gullwings since they had a part of bringing Duel Monsters to Spira after all."

"And what if we don't trust you, Mr. Soul-Stealer?" Rikku asked.

"Hmm…" Pegasus thought before reaching into the pocket of his red sports jacket and gave her five cards: Blue Eyes Toon Dragon (x3), Toon World, and Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon. "I think these may persuade you."

"Ooohh…" Rikku looked at the cards as she then kissed them. "So cute!"

"I'll take that as a yes…" Pegasus grinned. "Now

"She's easy to please…" Kaiba muttered as Rikku responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Very mature Rikku…"

"Now it's time for me to go to work. After all, what great duel would it be without the proper promotion? Lady Yuna, the High Summoner who defeated Sin, taking on the World Champion of Duel Monsters, Seto Kaiba!" Pegasus promoted while smiling. 'Plus, this should give me a huge lead over Kaiba-Boy, business-wise.'

At Luca, ships were coming at ports as crowds were forming at the ticket booths as well as some cards made exclusively for this event were being sold. A huge banner was being put up which read:

Industrial Illusions presents: The Duel of the Century – High Summoner Yuna vs. CEO of Kaiba Corp and World Champion of Duel Monsters Seto Kaiba.

The people knew nothing about Industrial Illusions, let alone Kaiba Corp, and could care less about Seto Kaiba, especially having hearing about what he's been saying about Spira. But most of the people who have arrived only came to see "Lady Yuna duel and beat that son of a shoopuff Kaiba." Others were curious about the new cards made exclusively for this special event.

As for Yuna and Kaiba? Each of them were in a locker room specifically reserved for the Blitzball tournaments, taking this time to plan strategies and combos to use against each other.

Mokuba walked into one of the locker rooms as he saw Kaiba leaning on the lockers, arms crossed.

"Seto, aren't you going to prepare for your duel with Yuna?" He asked.

"I already have my strategy planned." He said. "I'm about to attack her with a bunch of cards that the so-called 'High Summoner' has probably never seen before."

"But you don't know about how good Yuna is!" Mokuba reminded. "What if she has some cards you have never seen?"

"Preposterous…"

"What if she has a Blue Eyes, let alone three of them!?" Kaiba then shot a glare towards Mokuba, who then explained. "Back in Domino there are only four Blue Eyes White Dragons. In Spira who's to say that Rikku isn't the only one to have a Blue Eyes."

"Hmph, there's only one person and one person alone who is worthy enough to hold a Blue Eyes White Dragon in his deck, regardless of what world we're in, and you're looking at him."

"Well…good luck Seto." Mokuba said as he left the locker room.

A grin came to Kaiba's face. 'Yuna will learn first hand what happens when you challenge a duelist a superior as me when I bring her down to her knees.'

In the other locker room, Yuna was looking over her cards. Most of them were light monsters but also have a few dark monsters, not to mention a few handy spell or trap cards.

"Yunie!" Rikku, who has just changed back into "Thief" clothes, walked up to the preparing Yuna. "So…are ya ready?"

"I am…" She replied as Rikku took a look at the cards. "Whoa…Setty's gonna have a tough duel with you!"

"If this is what it takes to inflate that ego of his, I'm looking to make this a duel Seto Kaiba will never forget." She said as she gathered her cards.

"Oh and Yunie, Wakka and Lulu couldn't make it. But it's understandable with the baby and everything!" Rikku hugged herself, "Oooh I just can't wait until the baby's born! It'll be a baby girl!"

"Rikku, the baby could be a boy!" Yuna reminded.

"Well a girl can hope can she?" Rikku sighed as she smiled. "I'll see ya on the stage, oh and Yunie?"

"Hmm?"

Rikku gave Yuna five cards,"Tear a new one in Kaiba for me?"

Yuna giggled as she took out some of the cards she knew she wasn't going to use from her deck and replaced them with the cards Rikku gave her, "Don't worry, I will…"

At Luca Stadium, the crowds were being seated as Yugi and Company, along with their Al Bhed friends, took a seat in the front row.

"Big crowd…" Tristan observed.

"Of course it's a big crowd, considering who's dueling." Bakura nodded. "After all, Yuna's a major celebrity in Spira."

"I hope Yuna knows what she's doing." Serenity said.

"I hope Yuna beats the snot outta Kaiba!" Joey said, wanting Kaiba to be humiliated.

Brother, meanwhile, was hoping that there would be a Pre-show dance from Yuna _and_ Tea. That in a second Tea would be called to the center and join Yuna as they put on the dance of a lifetime.

"Dancing Yuna and Tea, Dancing Yuna and Tea…" He chanted, hoping that his wish would come true.

"Oh give it up, you pervert!" Rikku muttered, disgusted at her brother's constant lusting over her cousin and friend.

"Look, there's Pegasus!" Buddy pointed out as Pegasus then rise standing on a platform with a smile on his face.

Pegasus saw the huge crowd in the stadium as he thought about his future clients once the Spira branch of Industrial Illusions was established. Since Duel Monsters has become such a hit, he'd be making double the money he did back home. And it would be all thanks to Kaiba. After all, it was his invention that led to this opportunity.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" He began. "Now for the moment you have all been waiting for! A duel which I've been waiting for in this case…"

"Whatever, just bring out Lady Yuna!" A voice from the crowd shouted.

"Yeah, we want Lady Yuna!" Another voice shouted which lead to a big "Yuna" chant from the crowd.

'These people don't know anything about being a showman…' Pegasus sighed, "Now, to introduce first! The current World Champion of Duel Monsters…even though some would disagree… His rarest card is Blue Eyes White Dragon, Seto Kaiba!"

Kaiba walked out to the stage with his duel disk on his arm, ignoring the boos and jeers from the crowd which infuriated Mokuba.

"Hey, don't treat my brother like he's the anti-Christ!" He shouted at the crowd, which cause the booing to go into his direction.

"Don't tell us what to do kid!" One of them shouted back!

"You have a scumbag of a brother!" Another added.

Mokuba felt like choking them as he was about to get up, but Rikku grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt.

"Umm…Mokie? It's best that you don't get on the crowd's bad side." She suggested. "You should've seen them when the fiends came during the Blitzball tournament. You think that they were unruly? Whoa!"

Mokuba sighed, "Okay…"

"And now…his opponent: A lady who needs no introduction!" Pegasus said. "She's the High Summoner who defeated Sin, and she leads a Sphere Hunting group: The Gullwings!"

The latter statement infuriated Brother. "HEY! **_I'M_**THE LEADER OF THE GULLWINGS! NOT HER!" He screamed loudly.

"Will ya pipe down?" Joey shouted, checking his ears to see if they're bleeding from Brother's yelling.

"And she's a pretty good singer too…" Pegasus added, ignoring Brother's comments. "Now, I present to you: Lady Yuna!"

The crowd went into a uproar as Yuna walked to her side of the field, receiving a reaction which was completely the opposite from their reaction to Kaiba, who just smirked.

'Enjoy those cheers Yuna.' He grinned. 'Because after I've crushed you in this duel, those fools will have nothing to cheer about.'

Yuna then activated her duel disk as Pegasus spoke once again.

"And now the participants shuffle each others decks before the duel will begin." He said as the guards walk over and took Kaiba and Yuna's decks. The guards then walked over to the duelists with their opponent's decks.

One guard gave Yuna Kaiba's deck. "Thank you." Yuna said politely as she began to shuffle the deck.

The other guard approached Kaiba with Yuna's deck. "It's fine as it is…" Kaiba muttered as the guards then took back the decks and gave them to their respective owners.

"And now…" Pegasus announced. "Let the dueling begin!"

"Let's duel!" Kaiba and Yuna shouted in unison.

Kaiba: 8000

Yuna: 8000

"Losers first, Amateur!" Kaiba said to Yuna, which caused the crowd to boo, as they each drew five cards.

"Okay…" Yuna drew a card. "First I summon Dark Elf [2000/800] in attack mode!" She announced as a pair of pyroflies formed a woman who looked familiar to the Mystical Elf aside from the tanned skin color and purple hair. I end my turn.

Kaiba drew a card. "My move…" He then played a Spell Card. "First, I'll play Block Attack which I'll use to change your Dark Elf's position from attack to defense!"

Yuna watched as her Dark Elf go into a defensive stance." Why is he putting my Elf in attack mode? It's not like he'll inflict damage to my Life Points, right?"

Kaiba continued, "Now I summon Spear Dragon [1900/0] in attack mode!" He announced as the blue, spear-mouthed dragon was summoned to the field. "Spear Dragon's special ability allows me to inflict damage for destroying a monster, even if it's in defense mode." He grinned. "That includes your Dark Elf."

Yuna gasped, as Dark Elf's defense points of 800 was nothing compared to Spear Dragon's attack power of 1900. "Oh no!"

"Spear Dragon, attack Yuna's Dark Elf!" Kaiba ordered as Spear Dragon attacked, taking out the Dark Elf as Yuna's Life Points began to drop.

Kaiba: 8000

Yuna: 6900

"After it attacks, Spear Dragon automatically goes into defense mode. But who said that you're going to even touch a scale, as I place one card face down!" He said as he then concluded his turn.

Yuna drew. "Alright then, I summon Opticlops [1800/1700] in attack mode!" She announced as a one-eyed giant was summoned to the field. "Opticlops, attack Kaiba's Spear Dragon!" She ordered. As Opticlops prepared to attack…

"Hmph, I don't think so! Activate facedown card Negate Attack!" Kaiba announced, as the giant's attack was negated. "That was a nice try, but you just came up short. Just what I thought, you people from Spira couldn't duel out of a paper bag!" His comments had once again angered the crowd as they were now booing him. "What's wrong? Are you angry that your hero can't cut the mustard?"

"Just get back to the duel!" Yuna shouted as she concluded her turn. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Kaiba drew a card. 'Perfect, just the card I need to end this duel quickly.' He thought as he placed a card in the Spell/Trap zone on his duel disk. "I now play the spell card Enemy Controller, which at a cost of 1000 Life Points, I can either destroy or take control of one of your monsters for one turn!" A white controller which resembled a Sega Genesis controller appeared as a cord attached to Yuna's Opticlops. Kaiba's Life Points then dropped.

Kaiba: 7000

Yuna: 6900

"Enemy Controller, take control of Yuna's Opticlops! Left, Right, A, B!" Kaiba's commands were imputed into the controller as Opticlops slid over to Kaiba's side of the field. "And that's just the beginning, as I now sacrifice Spear Dragon and Opticlops to summon my great beast!"

"No way!" Joey shouted.

"You gotta be kidding!" Tristan exclaimed.

"That quickly!?" Rikku blinked.

Kaiba began to laugh manically as the two monsters on his side of the field disappear to be replaced… "Behold…The Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Oh no!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Oh yes!" Kaiba then ordered. "Now my great beast, attack Yuna directly with White Lightning!" The Blue Eyes fired its White Lightning directly at Yuna, who shielded herself from its blast as her Life Points began to tremendously drop.

Kaiba: 7000

Yuna: 3900

"I end my turn!" Kaiba concluded. "There's not a card in your deck that can defeat my Blue Eyes!"

"We'll see…" Yuna said as she drew a card and smiled. "Now it's time for you to be put in your place, Kaiba!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Kaiba retorted as Yuna placed a card in the Spell/Trap zone.

"First I'll play Premature Burial which at a cost of 800 life points I can bring back any monster that was sent to my graveyard!" Yuna announced as her Life Points dropped.

Kaiba: 7000

Yuna: 3100

"Dark Elf, return to the field!" Yuna's command was followed by the return of the Mystical Elf's stronger, darker counterpart onto Yuna's side of the field.

"So Yuna just flushed 800 Life Points just to bring back a monster which Kaiba's Blue Eyes is still superior to it by 1000 Life Points?" Joey asked, confused.

"Wait Joey, it may be a part of Yuna's!" Yugi reminded. "True, Guardian Angel Joan fails in comparison to Blue Eyes White Dragon, but maybe she has another card that'll take down Blue Eyes."

"Don't worry!" Rikku assured. "Yunie has this all figured out!"

"I hope so…" Tea sighed. "Because if her plan fails now, Kaiba may win this duel on his next turn."

"Hmph, you expect that monster to do you any good?" Kaiba asked in an annoyed tone.

"Who said that Dark Elf was the monster I'm going to use against your Blue Eyes?" Yuna continued by placing another card in the Spell/Trap zone. "I now activate the Spell Card Cost Down, which will reduce a monster card's level by two stars! Now, I will reduce a 7-star monster into a 5-star monster!"

Kaiba crossed his arms, "You're wasting your time and mine…"

"We'll see!" Yuna responded to Kaiba's remark. "I now sacrifice my Dark Elf to summon the now-5-star monster Guardian Angel Joan [2800/2000] in attack mode!" Dark Elf was sacrificed in favor for the stronger Light Fairy monster. "Guardian Angel Joan was the first card I got when I got into dueling and I know she'll play a key role of taking you down!"

"So you did all of that just to summon a monster with lower attack points than my Blue Eyes? Hmph, you're just delaying the inevitable! This duel is all over for you Yuna! Your biggest mistake was challenging me to a duel! Because next turn, I'll have another monster on the field, and it'll be all over!" Kaiba said. "You're finished, Yuna!"

* * *

Right now, Yuna's in a tight spot! She has a monster on the field that is 200 attack points lower than Kaiba's Blue Eyes. Does Yuna really have a plan, or is she stalling the inevitable like Kaiba said? Find out next chapter!

Preview for Next Chapter:

"Face it Yuna, You never had a chance! The reason why you challenged me was to what? Humble me?" Kaiba laughed. "I don't think you're in any position to do so. You know, I actually expected better from the High Summoner who defeated Sin! But then again, you probably needed help to-"

"I did, from my friends!" Yuna cut off Kaiba, who just scoffed. "For me to defeat Sin, it took friends! Friends, Aeons, being able to rely on them all!

"Save it Yuna!" Kaiba hissed. "Friends? Ha! Friends are worthless! Nothing more than people who just get in the way of success! I never needed friends to get where I am now, and I sure as hell don't need them now!"

"I don't understand you!" She cried. "Even now, the bonds of friendship are my strength. And I will not let you call that strength worthless! So why don't you take that talk of worthlessness, and can it Kaiba!"

**Chapter 16: **The Duel In Luca Part 2: Blue Eyes White Dragon vs. Guardian Angel Joan.


	16. The Duel In Luca Part 2: Blue Eyes White...

Thanks for the reviews:

Lady D 10290 – One of these days, Kaiba'll learn the hard way. When it'll happen is unknown…

PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00 – Will Yuna win? Or will Kaiba? You'll have to find out.

Magicman/Smokegirl – Sorry, I understand how you feel but you're gonna have to wait and find out.

Bluemagiciandragon – Thank you, but on who's going to win, you're gonna have to wait and find out.

Overearth – I think you should be pleased with this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 16: **The Duel In Luca Part 2: Blue Eyes White Dragon vs. Guardian Angel Joan. 

"Face it Yuna, you never had a chance! The reason why you challenged me was to what? Humble me?" Kaiba laughed. "I don't think you're in any position to do so. I actually expected better from the High Summoner who defeated Sin! But then again, you probably needed help to-"

"I did, from my friends!" Yuna cut off Kaiba, who just scoffed. "For me to defeat Sin, it took friends! Friends, Aeons, being able to rely on them all!

"Save it Yuna!" Kaiba hissed. "Friends? Ha! Friends are worthless! Nothing more than people who just get in the way of success! I never needed friends to get where I am now, and I sure as hell don't need them now!"

"I don't understand you!" She cried. "Even now, the bonds of friendship are my strength. And I will not let you call that strength worthless! So why don't you take that talk of worthlessness, and can it Kaiba!"

"Whatever! I have a duel to win and we'll see which is more superior: Your faith or my skills!"

"Remember Kaiba, it is still my turn! And now you'll see first hand of the power of faith in friends." She said as she placed a spell card down. "I now activate United We Stand and equip it to my Guardian Angel Joan!"

Kaiba blinked in shock, "What?"

"United We Stand will increase my Guardian Angel Joan's attack and defense points by 800, depending on how many monsters are on my side of the field." Yuna explained as Guardian Angel Joan's attack and defense points increased. [3600/2800] "Now my Guardian Angel destroy Kaiba's Blue Eyes!" She ordered as Guardian Angel Joan laid a devastating attack on the Blue Eyed Dragon, destroying it as Kaiba's life points dropped.

Kaiba: 6400

Yuna: 3100

What was left of the Blue Eyes was a bright ball of energy that went to Yuna as her life points began to increase…

Kaiba: 6400

Yuna: 6100

"Did I mention that Guardian Angel Joan's special ability allows me to increase my life points by the original attack points of every monster she destroys, including your Blue Eyes?" She asked with a smile. "I end my turn."

"Alright Yunie!" Rikku cheered! "That's my girl!"

"Way to own Kaiba Yuna!" Joey cheered.

Kaiba seethed, "Don't celebrate just yet! This duel's just begun!" He drew a card as he sighed.

"What's wrong, you didn't get the card you wanted?" Yuna asked.

"Silence!" Kaiba hissed as he played a card face down. "I place one card face down and summon Saggi the Dark Clown [600/1500] in defense mode!" He said as the dark Clown appeared on his side of the field. "I end my turn."

Yuna was taken a bit back from Kaiba playing a weaker monster, as she believed that he had a monster even stronger than that. But it was his loss…

"Now Yuna…" Brother said. "CRUSH HIM!"

"Why is Kaiba playing a weak monster in defense mode?" Rikku asked.

"Maybe Kaiba realized that he can't beat Yuna." Tristan shrugged.

"Yeah." Joey nodded. "Now Rich Boy'll be put in his place and end his insults once and for all."

"I doubt it." Bakura disagreed. "Kaiba may be in a tight spot now, but he still has a chance to turn the duel into his favor."

"Bakura's right you guys." Tea added. "Kaiba may have a…" She stopped. "Oh no…"

"What is it Teyi?" Rikku asked, noticing the shocked look on Tea's face.

"He isn't going to do what I think he is…"

"What do you think he's going to do?"

Kaiba, meanwhile, just watched Yuna draw a card. 'That's it Yuna…'

"I now summon Dark Blade in attack Mode [1800/1500]!" Yuna announced as the Dark Armored Clad knight appeared with two swords in his hands.

Kaiba gave a small smirk. 'Good girl…now attack Saggi…"

"And now to destroy another one of your monsters, and to get some more life points!" Yuna said as she then ordered. "Guardian Angel Joan, attack Kaiba's Dark Clown!" The angel went for the attack on Saggi, but before she could deliver the blow…

"Ha, I don't think so! I sacrifice Saggi the Dark Clown to activate my facedown card Crush Card Virus!" Kaiba announced as Saggi exploded as a purple virus began to fill up Yuna's side of the field. Much to her horror, Guardian Angel Joan and Dark Blade were infected as they were then sent to the graveyard.

"Joan, Dark Blade…" Yuna cried as she mourned their departure, placing the two cards in the graveyard.

"And that's not all! All monsters in your hand that has 1500 or more attack points are also sent to the graveyard for three whole turns!" Kaiba explained as Yuna looked in her cards. The cards in her hand were two more Dark Blades, Chaos Command Magician [2400/1900], and Chaos Sorcerer [2300/2000]. Having no other choice, Yuna placed her hand into the graveyard as well.

"I end my turn…" Yuna said, not able to do anything else.

"A weak duelist should have weak cards, Yuna." Kaiba smirked as he drew a card. "I now summon Vorse Raider [1900/1200] in attack mode!" He announced as the beast warrior was summoned to the field. "Now Vorse Raider, attack Yuna's life points!" Vorse Raider tossed his blade as it hit Yuna, causing her life points to drop…

Kaiba: 6400

Yuna: 5200

"I end my turn, and now make whatever move you can…" Kaiba said as Yuna then draw, hoping that it was something she could use. For her next three turns, she wouldn't be able to attack Kaiba's life points as the only monsters she'd be able to use would be those with an attack below 1500. So taking out his Vorse Raider was hopeless unless she could draw a useful spell or trap card.

Yuna looked at the card she drew. It wasn't a spell or trap card, but a monster card. Fortunately, its attack was below 1500 so she could use it to protect her life points at least. "I'll play one monster faced down in defense mode." She said. "I end my turn."

"A desperate move from a desperate person…" Kaiba said as it was his turn once again to draw a card. "I now summon Hitotsu-Me Giant [1200/1000] in attack mode!" The one-eyed giant was then summoned to the field. "Now Hitotsu-Me Giant, attack Yuna's face-down monster!" The giant then went for the attack and destroyed the monster which was revealed to be Cyber Jar [900/900].

"You're not going to be doing any attacking any more…" Yuna informed as Hitotsume-Giant and Vorse Raider were sent to the graveyard. "Now we all dr-"

"I know what Cyber Jar's effect is, Faith-Girl." Kaiba sneered as they now began to draw five cards as part of Cyber Jar's effect. Kaiba special summoned these cards in attack mode: X-Head Cannon [1800/1500], Y-Dragon Head [1500/1600], and Z-Metal Tank [1500/1300]. Yuna did special summoned four monsters she got out of the five cards she drew: Female Warrior from another Dimension [1500/1600], Death Gremlin [1600/1800], and two Dunames Dark Witches [1800/1050 x 2]. However, they were infected by Kaiba's Crush Card and therefore sent to the graveyard.

Kaiba laughed, "Don't you see Yuna? Thanks to my Crush Card, all of your best monsters when drawn or summoned are sent to the graveyard. X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank! Attack Yuna Directly!" He ordered as the machine monsters unleashed their firepower onto a defenseless Yuna, nearly destroying all of her life points.

Kaiba: 6400

Yuna: 400

"One more turn and you're finished!" Kaiba said with a smirk. "Where's your faith that you spoke so strongly about now Yuna? It just proved my point! Dueling takes skill and the right cards to win and from the looks of the life point difference, you don't appear to have ether. "Now make your last pathetic move…"

"Alright!" Mokuba cheered. "Seto's got this duel in the bag!"

"Oh man…" Joey sighed. "Yuna's down to her last life points…"

"And thanks to Kaiba's Crush Card, she can't fight back." Tristan added.

"Yunie…" Rikku said. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Kaiba was more likely to win the duel on his next turn.

Yuna sighed as she now reached to her deck. 'I hope I draw the right card…' She drew the card as she looked at it, then sighed. "I place one card facedown, and then place one monster facedown in defense mode! I end my turn."

"You only have one monster face down, and I highly doubt that Trap will help you…" Kaiba informed as he drew a card. "I summon another Vorse Raider [1900/1200] in attack mode!" Kaiba announced as his second Vorse Raider was summoned. "Now Vorse Raider, attack Yuna's face-down monster!" The Beast Warrior went for the attack as Yuna's facedown card was revealed: Mystical Elf [800/2000]. Since Mystical Elf's defense points were higher than Vorse Raider's attack points, it was Kaiba who received the attack damage.

Kaiba: 6300

Yuna: 400

"Don't count your chocobos before they hatch! That was just the beginning!" Yuna smiled. "Activate Face-Down card, Gravity Bind!" All of the monsters on the field were immobilized as Yuna continued. "That should keep your monsters at bay!"

"Not for long!" Kaiba said, "Honestly Yuna, take a look at my other monsters on the field other than Vorse Raider: _X_-Head Cannon? _Y_-Dragon Head? And _Z_-Metal Tank?" He said, placing much emphasis on the letters.

"Oh no…" Rikku mewed, knowing what Kaiba's talking about.

"What are you saying Rikku!?" Tea asked. "You know what Kaiba's talking about?"

"I should know! I have those same cards in my deck!" Rikku exclaimed as she then shouted to her cousin. "Be careful Yunie!"

Yugi couldn't help but agree, as Kaiba used those cards against him in the Semi Finals of Battle City, but they were mostly used to summon Obelisk The Tormentor, a God Card he once had in his possession.

"X…Y…Z-" Yuna blinked. "Are you saying that they can combine together?"

"So you're not that much of an airhead…" Kaiba said. "I now remove X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank from the game as I now summon XYZ Dragon Cannon!" He announced as the machines combined as they now formed the XYZ Dragon Cannon! [2800/2600] "Now I'll activate its special ability…" Kaiba stated as he then discarded one of his cards from his hand. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can have one card destroyed! Take a wild guess which card I'm going to destroy!"

"Oh no!" Yuna cried!

"Oh yes! XYZ Dragon Cannon, destroy Yuna's Gravity Bind!" Kaiba ordered as XYZ Dragon Cannon fired its missiles at the trap cards as it then destroyed Yuna's trap card. "With you Gravity Bind gone, my monsters are free to attack you next turn. My Crush Card is still in effect for one more turn, and by the time that ends, it'll be too late! Face it Yuna, whatever luck you might have had last turn to draw Mystical Elf was just a one-trick pony. It won't happen again so it's best that you save yourself the humiliation in front of these fairytale-believing idiots and just give up!"

'Maybe Kaiba's right…' Yuna thought as she placed her hand on her deck. Maybe she went over her head with this duel. After all, Kaiba was a top duelist and she, despite being a quick learner, was still a novice. Maybe she should just surrender and end this duel, seeing that any chance she had of winning were less then likely, especially with his Crush Card on the field. True, after her turn has ended, its effects would be gone and she could summon monsters with high attack points once again on her next turn. But then again, there may not be a next turn.

Poor Yuna… Right now she only has 400 life points and Kaiba has Vorse Raider and XYZ Dragon Cannon on the field. All she has on the field is Mystical Elf in defense mode. Will Yuna continue with the duel or surrender, and if she does continue, will Yuna's next turn really be Yuna's last turn? Y'all know what to do, go and review.

On a final note, if anyone was confused about the Crush Card thing, I used the real Crush Card instead of the Anime version. Here's its effect:  
  
Effect: Sacrifice 1 Dark Main-Type Monster with an attack strength of 1000 or less. Destroy all Monsters that have an attack strength of 1500 or more that your opponent has on the Field, in his or her hand, and all cards that he or she draws for 3 turns.

Prevew for next chapter:

"Where's your faith now, Yuna? Or have you realized that you'll never beat a duelist of my skills and instead fail. But then again Yuna, failure isn't exactly foreign to you isn't it?" Kaiba smirked cruelly. "So you defeated Sin, but you needed help to do it! But then again, you couldn't do anything on your own, can you? If you went at it alone, you'd have failed miserably!"

"KAIBA!" Yugi protested against Kaiba's insensitive behavior.

"Save it Yugi! You may be able to protect your pathetic friends, but not even you can shield Yuna from the truth! That's she's just a failure without her friends and her so-called Aeons. So how's the Sphere-Hunting business, _Lady_ Yuna? The Gullwings doesn't seem to be cutting it, are they? Maybe they should be called 'The Dullwings,' because from what I've heard, you're Sphere hunting skills are as good as your dueling skills, and we both know how good they are! Just look at how many life points you lost so far!"

Rikku's eyes narrowed. "Like I said before, just when he shows that he's not such a heartless jerk, he messes up, big time!" I'm about to jump onto the field and-"

"Take a number…" Joey cut her off.

"The line's behind us!" Tristan added.

**Chapter 17**: The Duel in Luca Part 3: The Conclusion.


	17. The Duel In Luca Part 3: The Conclusion

Magicman/Smokegirl – Your question will be answered in this chapter.

PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00 – Okay, this is the last cliffy in this story as the next chapter will be the final chapter.

setoobsessive-2() – If I told you what was going to happen, I'd spoil this chapter. As for Kaiba hooking up with Rikku, expect it to happen, but don't hold your breath if you think it'll happen in this story, though…

Cloud Strife!! – Thank you. Your support means a lot and that motivates me to write good stories.

* * *

**Chapter 17: **The Duel In Luca Part 3: The Conclusion 

Kaiba grinned as he saw Yuna debating with herself if she should continue on with the duel, "What will it be Yuna?! Are you going to continue and lose, or save yourself the humiliation of being beaten in front of your huge fan club and surrender?"

"I…I…" Yuna closed her eyes. Was she really going to give up? Was she really going to surrender, and tell Kaiba that he was the superior duelist? It all seemed to be occurring either way and there wasn't much she could do to stop it from happening. Kaiba still had 6300 life points while Yuna had only 400. His Crush Card was still in effect for one more turn so she couldn't summon a monster with an attack higher than 1500. Even if she could use a high-attack monster, odds are that she'd have to tribute summon a monster. Unfortunately, Kaiba's strongest monster had 2800 attack points so it'd probably be around a two-tribute monster.

"Where's your faith now, Yuna? Or have you realized that you'll never beat a duelist of my skills and instead fail. But then again Yuna, failure isn't exactly foreign to you isn't it?" Kaiba smirked cruelly. "So you defeated Sin, but you needed help to do it! But then again, you couldn't do anything on your own, can you? If you went at it alone, you'd have failed miserably!"

"KAIBA!" Yugi protested Kaiba's behavior.

"Save it Yugi! You may be able to protect your pathetic friends, but not even you can shield Yuna from the truth! That's she's just a failure without her friends and her so-called Aeons. So how's the Sphere-Hunting business, _Lady_ Yuna? The Gullwings doesn't seem to be cutting it, are they? Maybe they should be called 'The Dullwings,' because from what I've heard, you're Sphere hunting skills are as good as your dueling skills, and we both know how good they are! Just check the life points so far?"

Rikku's eyes narrowed. "Like I said before, just when he shows that he's not such a heartless jerk, he messes up, big time!" I'm about to jump onto the field and-"

"Take a number…" Joey cut her off.

"The line's behind us!" Tristan added.

"And why did become a sphere hunter in the first place? Because everyone else was beginning to no longer believe that nonsense anymore and you needed a new hobby? Or did you find a certain sphere of a certain someone who you thought was long gone and decided to find him? But you couldn't even do that right?" Kaiba continued his taunting as tears in Yuna's eyes began to form from that particular mention.

"Seto…" Mokuba said silently under the loud chorus of boos, in shock at how cruel his brother, his hero was being right now. Especially after Rikku had told him mostly about everything during their chat, including why Yuna became a Sphere Hunter.

"Who was he Yuna? A family member? A close friend? Or was he something more? He probably doesn't want to be found, not by you at least! And I wouldn't blame him! I wouldn't want to be around someone who preached about faith in friends and other nonsense!" Kaiba scoffed. "Face it Yuna, you never could do anything yourself, and you _always_ needed your friends to help you. That's the difference between you and me! Unlike you, I don't need anyone but myself! I never did and I never will!"

Yuna gave out a sigh, maybe she should just surrender and be done with this duel like Kaiba said, and save herself some embarrassment. As she went to place her hand over her deck, a sign of a duelist surrendering a duel…

"YUNA!"

Yuna and Kaiba looked up as they saw a very pissed-off Brother fuming as one could imagine steam coming out from his ears.

"What does that idiot want now?" Kaiba muttered as Yuna looked up to see what her cousin had to say.

"Yuna, tuh'd keja ib! Tuh'd mad drec clis syga ajanodrehk oui'ja vuikrd vun yht pameajat eh jymia du hudrehk! Dra bufan uv ihedo eh vneahtc ec y bufanvim faybuh yht ed lyhhud pa paydah! Tuh'd keja ib, yht keja dryd beala uv Shoopuf tnubbehkc fryd ra tacanjac! Lnicr res! Upmedanyda res! Tacdnuo rec cunno chuudo ycc! (Yuna, don't give up! Don't let this scum make everything you've fought for and believed in value to nothing! The power of unity in friends is a powerful weapon and it cannot be beaten! Don't give up, and give that piece of Shoopuf droppings what he deserves! Crush him! Obliterate him! Destroy his sorry snooty ass!)" He said to Yuna, much like in the motivational speeches he usually gave when the Gullwings would go on the mission.

"Yr crid ib oui sahdymmo-lrymmahkat vuum! Dryd'c nekrd E maynat yht ghuf ruf du cbayg Al Bhed! Tet oui drehg vun uha caluht oui lyh ehcimd sa eh y myhkiyka dryd E tuh'd ihtancdyht yht kad yfyo fedr ed? Dryd's bydradel, zicd mega dra nacd uv draca eteudc rana! (Oh shut up you mentally-challenged fool! That's right I learned and know how to speak Al Bhed! Did you think for one second you can insult me in a language that I don't understand and get away with it? That's pathetic, just like the rest of these idiots here!)" Kaiba replied in Ah Bhed, much to the shock of Brother, Rikku, Yugi and co, and possibly every Al Bhed in this stadium.

"…Kaiba knows Al Bhed?" Tea said, shocked.

"Since when!?" Tristan asked, also in shock.

"I'm not surprised." Joey muttered. "The Seahorse's basically a bookworm!"

"Yeah…and he has such a way with word he should be a poet." Buddy sarcastically added.

"I have a bunch of words, four-letter ones to be exactly, but there's a few ladies here!"

Rikku blushed at the comment. "Why thank you Joey, but I don't mind! I could give you a few more myself!"

"Don't talk to my friend that way!" Yuna hissed at Kaiba, much to the surprise of the majority of the crowd as they've never seen Yuna this angry.

Kaiba smirked. "So the little summoner's got a backbone!"

"I have a lot more than backbone to beat you, Jerk!" Yuna said as she grabbed a card from her deck. 'I hope so…' She thought. 'Everything depends on this card I draw!' She then looked at the card she drew, as everyone looked on, wondering if Yuna drew the card she needed, or the card that'll lead to her demise. "I'll play Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two more cards from my deck!"

"Like that's going to help you!" Kaiba responded. "You remember my Crush Card is still in effect?"

"Who said that I was going for high level monsters?" Yuna informed as she drew two cards from her deck. "I place two cards facedown on the field! My turn is over, and so is the effect of your Crush Card." Yuna concluded as the virus then disappeared from the field.

Kaiba drew a card, "Admirable, but have you forgotten XYZ Dragon Cannon's Special Ability?" He said as he discarded a card which was the trap card Ring of Destruction! "XYZ Dragon Cannon, Destroy Yuna's left facedown card!" Kaiba ordered as the missiles were fired onto the card that was on Kaiba's left, which was revealed to be Torrential Tribute. "Hmph, were you going to activate this card as soon as I placed a monster on the field? Your traps are so obvious Yuna, and now I'm going to end this duel once and for all! Starting with you Mystical Elf! XYZ Dragon Cannon, destroy Yuna's Mystical Elf!" Kaiba ordered as the Machine Monster fired its lasers and missiles at Mystical Elf…

"Sorry Kaiba!" Yuna announced as a golden cylinder appeared in Mystical Elf's hands. The ammunition fired from XYZ Dragon Cannon went inside said cylinder. "You activated my trap card, Magic Cylinder!"

"What?!" Kaiba responded in surprise.

"That's right! Oh, and Kaiba? I think I have something that belongs to you!" Yuna said as another Cylinder appeared, followed by the ammunition that went into the first cylinder, headed directly at Kaiba, and his life points...

Kaiba: 3500

Yuna: 400

"Alright Yunie! Take that meanie down!" Rikku cheered.

"How ya like them apples, Rich Boy?" Joey shouted at Kaiba. "Beat that Gambit-Wannabe Yuna!"

"Yuna's back in the game!" Tristan added.

"She may have saved her life points, but she's not out of the woods yet!" Bakura reminded.

"Bakura's right you guys!" Yugi added. "Yuna still has a fraction of life points as Kaiba and XYZ Dragon Cannon is still on the field so he could discard another card to destroy any spell, trap, or monster she would summon in his next turn."

"I don't care, just as long as Yuna beats Seto!" Mokuba said, much to the shock of everyone around him.

"Mokuba, are ya feeling okay?" Joey asked him.

"Did I just hear you just say what I think you said?" Yugi asked.

"That's right!" Mokuba said. "Seto's been nothing but a jerk ever since we got to Spira. But this time he's gone too far with what he said to Yuna! First Rikku and now her! Maybe what my brother needs is a taste of humble pie!"

In a throne-like chair in the stands meanwhile, Pegasus watched the duel. 'So the Former Summoner leaps back from the jaws a defeat into a comeback…' He mused in his mind. 'Let's see what happens and who'll be victorious: Lady Yuna or Kaiba-Boy.'

"You could attack, but that'll only cause damage to you instead, but you know that already, right Kaiba?" Yuna gave Kaiba a smile which was 15% preppy, 85% mock.

Kaiba sneered as he ended his turn, "You've may have gotten lucky Yuna, but next turn it'll be all over!"

"We'll see…" Yuna said as she drew, much to her satisfaction, it was a card that could really help her. "I play Card of Sanctity which will require us to draw until we all have six cards!" She explained as she and Kaiba both began to draw.

"Now Yuna will get a new hand and find something to take down Kaiba's XYZ Dragon Cannon." Tea explained.

"I hope she does get something…" Tristan said. "Cause if she loses, Kaiba'll never let us hear the end of it."

"But if Kaiba loses, he'll _never_ let us hear the end of it." Joey reminded.

Kaiba nearly had a full hand prior to Card of Sanctity's effect so Kaiba didn't had to draw as many cards as Yuna did. After she had six cards, she looked at her new hand, particularly at one card…

'This'll do the trick.' Yuna looked towards her opponent. "Ready Kaiba? Because now it's time to take out your life points!"

"Make your move…" Kaiba muttered, his patience becoming thin.

"First, I like to bring back an old friend with this Spell Card, Monster Reborn! Can you guess who I'm talking about?" All Yuna got from Kaiba as a reply was a glared as she then sighed and continued. "Guardian Angel Joan, come back to the field!" Yuna ordered as Guardian Angel Joan returned to the field to join Mystical Elf! "And that's not all! For me to summon this next monster, I have to remove one light attribute monster and one dark attribute monster from the game! So I remove my dark attribute monster Opticlops and my light attribute monster Dunames Dark Witch from the game to summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning [3000/2500] in attack mode!" Yuna announced as the Envoy version of Black Luster Solider was summon to the field, joining the other two light-attribute monsters. Much to Yugi's fascination as, aside from the same ATK/DEF type and attribute, this Black Luster Solider was different from the Ritual version he had in his deck. "And finally, I'll play one monster face down!" Yuna looked down at her deck as she saw the card. One of the five cards Rikku gave her prior to the duel. She already had an idea on how she wanted to beat Kaiba, especially after his insensitive ranting, but she would have to draw the right cards first. But that didn't mean that she couldn't lower his life points…or gain some for that matter…

"First, I'll activate one of my Black Luster Soldier's special abilities: To remove one of your monsters on the field from the game!"

"What?"

"Say goodbye to your XYZ Dragon Cannon!" Yuna said as with a wave of his sword, Black Luster Soldier eliminated the machine monster. "Since I removed one of your monsters, Black Luster Soldier can't attack this turn, but who said that I was finished. Guardian Angel Joan, attack Kaiba's Vorse Raider!"

The Guardian Angel attacked the Beast Warrior as Kaiba's seethed, his life points dropping and all. Yuna's on the other hand, thanks to the ball of energy obtained from Vorse Raider's defeat, began to increase…

Kaiba: 2400

Yuna: 2300

"I end my turn by placing one card face down." Yuna said.

Kaiba was angry, angry that not only Yuna had taken out one of his strongest monsters, but also increased her life points, and lowered his down to around hers all in one turn! But then, Kaiba grew a sick smile on his face. "Yuna…"

"What Kaiba?" Yuna responded.

"How about we raise the stakes a bit?" Kaiba challenged.

Yuna blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say…whoever loses will have to do whatever the winner says!" Kaiba's grin became wider and more menacing. "So what do you say Yuna? Unless you're not duelist enough, you'll accept my challenge.

"Fine!" Yuna said, much to the dismay of her friends.

"Yunie!" Rikku protested. "Fryd yna oui drehgehk!? (What are you thinking!?)"

"Don't worry Rikku, I can take him." She assured.

"But Yunie, what if you lose?"

Kaiba began to laugh manically. "You should listen to the ditz Yuna. You have 2300 life points while I have 2400 so it's anyone's duel. And after I win, I already have in mind what I want you to do! The perfect humiliation for someone like you!"

"And what may that be?" Yuna asked.

"It's quite simple!" Kaiba said, smirking. "After you lose this duel, you will bow down to me!"

"What?"

"That's right! I want you to bow down to me on your knees, showing that I am superior to you in every way, especially to these idiots in the stands in this arena!" Kaiba said as the crowd was trying not to throw debris at him as they shouted obscenities at him instead. "As soon as they duel's over, I want you to stand directly in front of me and then get on your knees as admit that I am superior to you, and the rest of these superstitious freaks! If you need help on doing that, talk to Wheeler! He knows a lot about falling down to his knees like the whimpering dog that he is!"

"DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE AND KILL YA KAIBA!" Joey screamed as he was just about to suicide dive onto Kaiba. But Tristan, Brother, and Buddy held him back.

"It's my turn now…" Kaiba said as he drew a card, ignoring Joey's threat. "First, I'll place my Thunder Dragon to the graveyard to activate it's special ability to special summon two more Thunder Dragons from my deck to my hand!" He said, as he placed one Thunder Dragon card in his graveyard, then taking two more out from his deck, which was then shuffled. "Now, I play Polymerization which will fuse my two Thunder Dragons into one monster!" He said as the two dragons began to fuse together, and when the flash cleared, a two-headed dragon was on Kaiba's side of the field. "Behold, the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon! [2200/1700]"

"Kaiba, you know that my Guardian Angel Joan's stronger." Yuna reminded.

"That' won't be much of a problem, once I play this!" Kaiba announced as he played a spell card. "Raigeki! Now all of your monsters will be destroyed!" He said as a bolt of lightning from above went to hit Yuna's monsters."

"Sorry Kaiba, I activate my trap card Anti-Raigeki!" Yuna said as a machine appeared on the field which redirected the lightning towards Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. "What goes around comes around!"

Kaiba seethed as his monster was destroyed. "I'll place one monster face down and end my turn!"

"Okay!" Yuna said as she drew a card and smiled. "That's a good start, but I need the other two…" She said as she took a card from her hand. "First, I reveal my facedown monster: Magician of Faith [300/400!" She announced as a young magician girl with pink hair in a high ponytail appeared on the field. "And with her special ability activated by her flip summoning, I get to take any Spell card in my graveyard and return it! And I choose my Pot of Greed!" Yuna then took said card from her graveyard and placed it in her hand. "Next, I play the same card I just took from my graveyard and draw two more cards!" She said as she drew two more cards from her deck. "Finally, I sacrifice my Magician of Faith to summon Marie the Fallen One [1700/1500]!" The Magician of Faith was sacrificed to be replaced by the charcoal-skinned, fallen angel. "Now to get some more attack points! Guardian Angel Joan, attack Kaiba's facedown monster!" Yuna ordered as Joan went for the attack, but to Yuna's dismay and Kaiba's satisfaction, Kaiba's facedown monster was revealed to be Cyber Jar [900/900]…

"Did you think that you're the only one with Cyber Jar in their deck?" Kaiba reminded as all of Yuna's monsters, including Black Luster Solider and Guardian Angel Joan went to the graveyard. "Looks like we have to draw for some monsters again…" Kaiba said as he and Yuna began to draw five cards. Kaiba managed to Special Summon Battle Ox [1700/1000] and Blade Knight [1600/1000]. Unfortunately for Yuna, the only monsters she could special summon were Shadow Specter [500/200] in defense mode, Ryu-Kishin [1000/500] in attack mode, and The Forgiving Maiden [850/2000] which she also placed in defense mode. Yuna looked at the rest of her five cards she drew from Cyber Jar's effect: To her luck, they were the other two cards she needed for her plan to humble Kaiba. She had the right set of cards she needed, but she was still missing one card that was needed to complete it.

"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn!" Yuna concluded her turn.

Kaiba drew a card, "Now to finish this duel!" Kaiba said as he then played a Spell card. "I play Premature Burial! At the cost of 800 life points, I can bring back one monster sent to my graveyard! Now, come back to me Blue Eyes White Dragon!" He said as The Blue Eyes returned from the graveyard as Kaiba's life points dropped.

Kaiba: 1600

Yuna: 2300

"And that's not all!" Kaiba continued, "I sacrifice Battle Ox and Blade Knight to summon another Blue Eyes White Dragon!" He said as Blade Knight and Battle Ox were sacrificed! In their place was another one of Kaiba's Blue Eyes.

"It's over Yuna! There's no way you can protect yourself from the wrath of two Blue Eyes! Now, my great beasts, attack Yuna's Ryu-Kishin and her facedown monster on the right with White Lightning!" The two White Dragons obliged as they fired their White Lightning at Yuna's monsters, but before they could hit…

"Activate Negate Attack!" Yuna announced as she activated her facedown Trap card. The attacks were negated by an invisible force field. "Sorry Kaiba, but by activating this card, your attacks are rendered useless!"

"I place two cards face down and end my turn…" Kaiba concluded his turn as he glared. "Now make your final pathetic move!"

"My turn, and it starts, due to the effect of my Marie the Fallen One when she's in the graveyard, by me getting 200 life ponts." Yuna states as her life points went up…

Kaiba: 1600

Yuna: 2500

Next, Yuna drew a card as she then smiled. 'Good, I now have what I need to put Operation: Humility in motion.' She then played the Spell card. "I now pay 1000 life points play the Spell card Toon World!" She announced as her life points then went down…

Kaiba: 1600

Yuna: 1500

"TOON WORLD!?" Kaiba replied in shock, as well as Brother, Yugi, and the rest of them save for Rikku!

"That's not all!" Yuna said as a cartoon book appeared on the field as it then opened. "I now sacrifice my facedown monsters, Skull Servant and The Forgiving Maiden to summon Blue Eyes Toon Dragon! [3000/2500]"

"Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!?" Kaiba seethed.

"Thanks to a closest and dearest friend, I managed to summon the monster that you hate the most! But it gets worse for you…" She said. "Now I play Polymerization which will fuse my other Blue Eyes Toon Dragons in my hand with my first one!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Kaiba shouted!

"I would, and I am!" Yuna said as two more Toon Blue Eyes appeared on the field as they now proceeded to fuse together, after the flash, there stood was the Toon version of a certain Ultimate Monster. "Say hello to Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon [4500/3800]!" She announced.

Kaiba was now fuming! "Damn you Pegasus!" He glared at Pegasus who had a smug look on his face as he sipped a martini glass of red wine. "Damn you and your stupid Toons to hell!"

"Why Kaiba-Boy, you should be honored!" He replied. "You're the first duelist to take on such beautiful creature!" As if on cue, the three heads of the Toon version of Blue Eyes Ulimate Dragon puckered its lips on the three heads that had somehow had lipstick applied on them and showed off its long eyelashes, trying to be as glamorous as possible, much to the disdain of Kaiba. "Besides, he's quiet sensitive you know!"

"Way to go Yunie!" Rikku cheered then began to admire the Toon. "He's so cute!"

"Kaiba's expression on his face is priceless!" Tristan snickered.

"I kinda feel sorry for ole' Moneybags…_almost_!" Joey stated.

"Kaiba as much as you would like to fawn over the dragon all day, we still have a duel to finish!" Yuna reminded! "Since my Toon Ultimate Dragon can't attack on the same turn as it's summoned, I end my turn."

"Fine!" Kaiba drew a card and smiled. "Time to fight fire with fire! I now play Polymerization to fuse my third Blue Eyes from my hand with the two Blue Eyes already on the field!" He said as a Third Blue Eyes began to fuse with the other two Blue Eyes, forming the real (in Kaiba's opinion) Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon [4500/3800]. "Meet the one, the only and _real_ Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Not that sacrilegious monstrosity of a dragon!" He smirked. "Now Yuna, let's see which Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon is superior: the real deal, or that infidelity!"

"Jeez Kaiba, it's just a card!" Yuna said, annoyed with how much of a big deal Kaiba was making about Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon.

"Yeah Setty! How can you not like him?" Rikku asked. "He's so cute!" As she said that, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon flexed his muscles as his biceps exploded like a Volcano.

"I don't care! A Blue Eyes, let alone an Ultimate one isn't supposed to be cute!" Kaiba roared. "And now Yuna, say goodbye to Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon, as I now play this: Harpie's Feather Duster, which will wipe out every Spell and Trap card you have on the field, including Toon World! With that, so goes Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon! Hmph, so much for Rikku's gift…"

"You're right! It will wipe out every Spell and Trap card on the field…but on your side, not mine!"

"What?" Kaiba's eyes went wide.

"You were so busy complaining about my monster that you forgot about my two trap cards, which I'll activate one of them now: Gryphon Wing!" She reminded as a wing then appeared and reflected the wind from Harpie's Feather Duster to Kaiba's Spell Cards and Traps.

'This can't be happening…' Kaiba seethed as his Spell and Trap Cards, Magic Cylinder, and Mirror Force, were destroyed, but then remembered that Yuna's other monster, Ryu-Kishin, was still in attack mode. "Yuna, you made one mistake, let alone an amateur one, and it's going to cost you! I refuse to let an amateur, let alone one who believes in ridiculous nonsense like you defeat me! Now Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Yuna's Ryu-Kishin and wipe out the rest of her life points!" He ordered as the Ultimate Dragon unleashed its blast from all three heads. "Neutron Blast!" As the Blast nearly hit Ryu-Kishin, it then let out a familiar-looking effect, much to the shock of Kaiba! "What the-"

"Did you think that you're the only one who has a Crush Card?" Yuna asked as her other face-down card was revealed to be indeed the Crush Card Virus. "And as a response…" She began to wave. "Bye-bye, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"You bitch!" Kaiba was fuming as the now-infected Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was sent to the graveyard, as if he wasn't insulted enough with Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon, now he felt victim of a card which he thought he was the only one to own. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was sent to the graveyard, as well as his other cards that were over 1500 attack points, leaving him with one card in his hand, the one card that he could used, but now due to the circumstances, it was now hopeless to use: Monster Reborn.

"A taste of yer own medicine Kaiba!" Joey shouted.

"Poor Seto…but after all he has said, he deserves this." Mokuba said honestly.

"There's no stopping Yunie now!" Rikku cheered!

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! AN AMATEUR LIKE YOU CANNOT BEAT ME, LET ALONE OWN A CRUSH CARD!" Kaiba yelled as everyone else was cheering that he was now going to get "What he has coming!"

"I take it that you end your turn?" Yuna asked innocently.

"Just go!" Kaiba hissed at Yuna.

"As you wish…" Yuna said as she first, due to Marie the Fallen One's effect, gain 200 life points…

Kaiba: 1600

Yuna: 1700

Then Yuna, as a shock to everyone, went to place her hand over her deck. "I'm going to surrender…"

"WHAT?" The crowd yelled, upset that she was now surrendering when she has this duel in the bag. Rikku, Tea, and Tristan were in disbelief as Joey and Brother looked like their heads were about to explode. Even Kaiba was shocked, but hid it behind a cold smirk.

"I just wanted to teach Seto Kaiba a lesson, and I feel that I've fulfilled my task. Now I know that I can beat him…" She said simply, but before the palm of her hand touched the deck, she quickly pulled back. "But then again, I came this far, so I might as well end it with a big bang…or should I say a big Neutron Blast!"

Rikku sighed out of relief. "You had us going there Yunie."

"Err…I knew she was faking." Joey said which earned him a skeptical look from his friends.

"Right Joey, _sure_ you did!"

"Now, I have to pay 500 life points for Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon to attack!" Yuna said as her life points went down…

Kaiba: 1600

Yuna: 1200

"Now Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon, use _your_ Neutron Blast and attack Kaiba directly!" She ordered as the Toon version of Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon went for a direct attack with Kaiba shielding himself from the inevitable blast. However, there was no blast. Kaiba looked on the field and the Toon Dragon was gone.

Kaiba looked around as he then looked behind him, "Where is that sacri-WHOA!" He jumped back! Kaiba was almost scared out of his buckled boots as the Dragon went for a Neutron Blast, but nothing came out. He breathed in and attempted another one, but the result was still the same.

"This is pathetic! Pegasus, you dare to create a Toon version of my Ultimate Beast and it can't even-" When Kaiba looked back, he was then met with, in the face, the Neutron Blast he was expecting as the rest of his life points went down. Much to the humor and satisfaction of everyone!

Kaiba: 0

Yuna: 1200

"_Now_ this duel's over Kaiba!" Yuna said, giving a small smirk towards him, as the duel disks were turned off. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we have a bet in which the loser does whatever the winner says?" She reminded, much to the satisfaction of everyone, save for Kaiba and, to a degree, Mokuba.

"Poor Seto…" Mokuba sighed, knowing how much of Kaiba's pride, let alone his ego, is hurt right now. But then again, it wasn't like he didn't deserve it, after the way he's been acting lately, especially to Yuna and Rikku. Besides, it could've been worse though. It would've been Joey who he lost to, let alone with the stakes as high as this.

* * *

As a wise man once said, don't count your chickens before they hatch. Kaiba done so and as a result he lost! I guess faith does prevail at the end. Anyway, so now that Kaiba has lost the duel and the bet! Now his fate is in the hands of Yuna. What will happen? Will Yuna humiliate him even more than he already has, or will she show Kaiba some mercy? 

Preview for next and final chapter!

"Yuna!" Rikku and Tea both called out as they went over to congratulate her.

"That was Awesome Yunie!" Rikku said. "I mean you had Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon obliterated him! Man, Setty should've seen the look on his face when he gave him that Neutron Blast in the face! His expression was priceless."

"I've recorded the duel on this sphere so we can all see it again!" Shinra informed.

"Awesome!" Tristan smiled, as well as Joey.

"The odds were against you and you pulled through." Yugi stated. "I'm proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you! All of you!" Yuna reminded as she then took the three Blue Eyes Toon Dragons and Toon World from her deck, and Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon from her fusion deck. "Here are your cards!"

"Thanks!" Rikku grabbed the cards as she then gave each of them a kiss.

**Chapter 18: **Celebrations, Humiliations, and Departures all in one!


	18. Celebrations, Humiliations, and Departur...

Here comes the last and one of the longer chapters in this story. Also, don't expect me to start the sequel anytime soon. Aside from preparing for college and my Wrestling E-Fed starting up again, I gotta update my other stories, particularly "A Different Beat." Hey, a guy's gotta finish what he started, or at least put into an equal amount of time in his other stories. I'll give you the title and the summary at the end of this final chapter.

**PROTOTYPE Uber Rei Model 00** – Well I'm glad you're happy.

**Lady D 10290** – On what Yuna will have Kaiba do…yes Rikku's involved, but how? Find out!

**Magicman/Smokegirl** – Very true about the taste of humble pie! But it's not over yet! There's still Kaiba's part of the bet that he has to fulfill.

**YO!** – I now realize that they're called daggers. Thanks for pointing that out. In the game, some weapons look so odd that it's nearly impossible to tell.

**Mel Meiko Mei Ling** – I basically gave Yuna a deck filled with mostly Light and Dark attribute monsters, and a few handy trap card.

**Lita**** Maxwell** – Glad that you liked the outcome of the duel.

**ampris** – Thanks. Yeah, I know the duel parts were a bit boring, but they do serve a purpose. In the sequel, the dueling may have more of a role then it did in this story, after all the sequel's a tournament.

**Ms. Aninga** – Thank you! And as for the sequel, it'll be called Spira's tournament. Basically Pegasus holds a Duel Monsters tournament in both Spira and Domino, but that's not the only thing that'll happen.

* * *

**Chapter 18: **Celebrations, Humiliations, and Departures! Goodbye…and hello! 

'This can't be possible…' Kaiba thought as he looked down to the ground. How could he, a master duelist, lose to Yuna: An Amateur duelist like everyone else in Spira, who also believe in what he believes is fairytales and nonsense. Did he underestimate her, or was he losing his edge? After all, at Battle City he had lost to Yugi and barely beaten Joey. If he hadn't had used that trap card which took his Blue Eyes White Dragon out from play during the effect of Joey's Time Wizard, it would've been his second lost in Battle City. And now he lost to someone who was even a bigger novice than Joey, despite her being smarter than him, but as far as Kaiba is concerned, who wasn't smarter than Joey Wheeler?

"Yuna!" Rikku and Tea both called out as they went over to congratulate her.

"That was Awesome Yunie!" Rikku said. "I mean you had Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon cream him! Man, Setty should've seen the look on his face when he gave him that Neutron Blast in the face! His expression was priceless."

"I've recorded the duel on this sphere so we can all see it again!" Shinra informed.

"Awesome!" Tristan smiled, as well as Joey.

"The odds were against you and you pulled through." Yugi stated. "I'm proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you! All of you!" Yuna reminded as she then took the three Blue Eyes Toon Dragons and Toon World from her deck, and Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon from her fusion deck. "Here are your cards!"

"Thanks!" Rikku grabbed the cards as she then gave each of them a kiss.

"I loved how the Toon Dragon punked Kaiba out!" Joey chuckled.

"Poor Kaiba…" Serenity said, being one of the few people to actually show sympathy for Kaiba, who, if you took away the Toon Element, basically got beaten by his own monster.

"It must be tough to be defeated by your favorite monster." Bakura added.

"I know I'd feel a bit down if I was defeated by a Dark Magician…" Yugi admitted.

"Who cares, Yuna's victorious!" Brother cheered. "Party on the Celsius!"

"There shouldn't be any partying!" Kaiba seethed. "I just lost to an amateur!"

"Get over it"

"Crid ib! (Shut up!)" Kaiba glared at Brother.

"Hmph, cuna mucan… (Hmph, sore loser…)"

"YOU WOULDN'T LAST FIVE TURNS…" Kaiba stopped as he thought about what he said. "MAKE THAT THREE TURNS AGAINST ME!"

"Is that so?"

"Should we get them before they tear each other apart?" Tea asked.

Rikku looked at Mokuba. "Mokie?"

"Yes?" He responded.

"How about you take care of your brother, and I take care of mine?" She suggested with a grin.

Mokuba gave a sly smile. "Sure…"

"Alright!" Rikku smiled as the two now walked over towards their respective siblings, who were arguing in Al Bhed.

"Mucan! (Loser!)"

"Sammuh Rayt! (Mellon Head!)"

"Uha-Lammat unkyhecs! (One-celled organism!)"

"Pycdynt! (Bastard!)

"Hayhtandrym! (Neanderthal!)"

"Jyhemmy! (Vanilla!)"

"Vanilla!?" Kaiba scoffed, as if your insults couldn't get anymore pathetic!

"Vanilla is a bland flavor, most commonly seen in ice cream! Simply put, it's boring, just like you!"

"Seto! Are you okay?" Mokuba asked, running up to his big brother.

"I'm fine…as long as this sand-eater knows his place." Kaiba said as he and Mokuba left the scene.

"'SAND-EATER!? WHY I OUGHTA-" Before Brother could leap, his ear was clutched as an annoyed Rikku dragged him away.

"Calm down before you humiliate yourself, will ya?"

"You heard what he just-" Brother complained, but Rikku stopped him.

"Hey, don't worry about it? We still have Kaiba's humiliation to plan out, thinks to Yunie's bet, remember?"

"But it's Yuna's decision to make!"

"But she said that she wanted to humble him!"

After a brief silence, the two siblings give each other a mischivieous smile. "Ohhh…"

"Somebody call 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not,' 'cause Rikku and Brother are getting along and just agreed on something!" Tristan smirked, as Tea gave out a worried look.

"Uh oh…" Buddy said, also knowing the Al Bhed siblings getting along.

"What's wrong?" Bakura asked, as he, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, and Yugi were confused to what was the big deal.

Shinra explained. "Whenever Rikku and Brother agree on something…bad stuff happens."

"That…can't be good!" Yuna said.

"I may not be psychic, or pretend to be, but I bet my best cards that it has somethin' to do with Kaiba." Joey suspected.

"I think your right, Joey!" Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, where is Mr. Roboto anyway?"

"Yeah…" Tea also noticed Kaiba's, and Mokuba's absence. "Mokuba's gone too!"

"Kaiba better not plan on weaseling out of the bet he made…" Tristan warned.

"Calm down you guys, they're right over there." Serenity pointed to the Kaiba Brothers.

"Good now let's get the bet over with!" Brother said, having overheard them as he then turned to Yuna. "Yuna, what do you have in mind?"

Yuna pondered on what Kaiba should do. She received a lot of ideas from Rikku, Brother, Tristan, and Joey! But all of them seem to be too cruel or too embarrassing. She then decided on two things and was going to let Kaiba choose.

"Kaiba, get yer ass over here right now!" Joey called, but was ignored as Kaiba was talking to Pegasus.

"You WHAT?" Kaiba snapped.

"That's right, Kaiba-Boy! I've decided to stay here and extend Industrial Illusions." Pegasus explained. "With the craze of Duel Monsters, we could hold a tournament, a Battle City-Style tournament that'll take place both in Domino and Spira. And I'm offering you a partnership!"

"Partnership!? After all that you've done to me and my family, including the creation of that damned Toon card just to humiliate me, and you have the nerve to offer me a partnership?"

"I have a feeling that a certain set of cards you have won't belong to you any longer…" Pegasus suspected. "You remember the bet you made with Lady Yuna?"

"I remember…"

"You have to do whatever she says…and that means giving up your rarest cards!"

"Hey!" Mokuba snapped at Pegasus. "You don't have any right to patronize my brother!"

"Calm down Mokuba-Boy! It's not my fault that Kaiba-Boy's in this mess. After all, he was the one who made the bet in the first place." Pegasus reminded Mokuba. "And throughout the duel he underestimated her."

Yuna walked up to the three with a smile on her face. "Kaiba, can I have a word with you?"

Kaiba sighed, "Fine… Better than hanging with Pegasus…"

The two walked over to everyone else as Yuna explained, "On the bet, I decided on what you're going to do, but you're going to have a choice: You can give up all three of your Blue Eyes and your Ultimate Dragon to Ri-"

"The hell I am!" Kaiba snapped. "Nobody's going to take my dragons away from me. Especially that hack Rikku! Wasn't the Toons enough for her?"

"Or…" Yuna went in his ear and whispered the alternative, then smiled. "So what will it be Kaiba: That, or giving Rikku your Blue Eyes."

Kaiba sighed, "Alright then…"

…

Back on the airship on the sphere, footage of Kaiba being blasted by Blue Eyes Ultimate Toon Dragon played continuously as Joey and Tristan were laughingly loudly, much to the annoyance of Tea and Shinra.

"It's not _that_ funny…" Tea said.

"But it is! When's the last time something funny was associated with Kaiba?" Joey asked.

"Yeah! This was priceless…" Tristan grinned. "I gotta have this on my screensaver!" He then looked to Shinra. "Play it again!"

"Again!?" Shinra protested. "Haven't you had enough of it?"

"No, not yet! So play it again, Shinra!" Joey demanded.

"Are they always like this when it comes to Kaiba?" Yuna asked Yugi.

"Sadly, yes…" He replied. "I just hope that someday they'll all get along and be friends. Kaiba is just misguided right now and he has had a tough life. He needs to see us as friends instead of enemies."

Yuna nodded as Rikku, in her songstress outfit, came through the door. "Alright everyone, to the deck of the ship!" She ordered.

"So Kaiba's ready?"

"Yep, and I made sure of it!" Rikku chirped. "Setty Kaiba's going to be the most charismatic person tonight!"

"Kaiba? Charismatic?" Joey said skeptically. "This I gotta see!"

Brother ran up to Rikku. "Rikku, what's Kaiba going to be doing?"

Rikku smirked, "Let's just say that he's going to be doing some lip syncing."

"Lip Syncing?" Mokuba asked. If Rikku hadn't had made it a surprise, he would've been with Kaiba right now, possibly making things easier for him. After all, he could use some comfort right now.

As everyone was now seated on top of the Celsius, including Barkeep, Rikku was standing before them with a microphone in her hand. Joey, Tristan, and Brother were the most excited as Yugi, Yuna, Mokuba, and Bakura, just wanted this to be over with. Tea, Buddy, Serenity, and Shinra just wanted to see Kaiba do what he has to do!

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" Rikku started to announce. "Club Gullwings is proud, to some degree, to bring to you! Your favorite CEO and mine… SETO KAIBA!" She extended her arm, expecting Kaiba to come out.

"Well…where is he?" Joey asked.

"Yeah! Unless you have an invisibility gauntlet or something, Kaiba's not out here!" Tristan added.

"Umm…" Rikku looked back as she then went back inside. Even though, thanks to the door, it was muffled, everyone could hear the conversation from inside.

"Well…what are you waiting for?"

"I'm not coming out!"

"Let's go! Everyone's waiting for you! So come on! You're performing!"

"The hell I am! If you think that you can parade me around like I'm some freak show, you're lying to yourself!"

"Kaiba, don't make me change back into my 'theif' clothes and steal your deck again! I may do to your Blue Eyes the same thing you did to Yugi's Grandpa's!"

"I like to see you try it. The bottom line is this: I'm not coming out!"

"Well, I guess you don't want your three Blue Eyes or your Ulitmate Dragon… In that case I'll be glad to take them…"

"I'm not-God I hate you, Rikku!"

"I love you too, Setty!"

The Door opened as Rikku stepped back out.

"So is the show still on or what?" Tristan asked.

Rikku nodded, "As I was saying, Ladies and Gentlemen, SETO KAIBA!"

Reluctantly, Kaiba came out, wearing a Moogle suit once again, much to the enjoyment of Joey.

"Ah, so that's the Moogle suit you were wearing Kaiba!" He gave a smirk which, if he wasn't wearing the head, would've earned him a glare from Kaiba.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Joe!" Rikku gave him a smirk as suddenly, the music from "True Emotion" began to play…

"Didn't you make a recording of that song, Yuna?" Tea asked as Yuna then nodded in response.

Suddenly, due to the magic of the garmet grid, the Moogle suit began to Vanish as it left Kaiba, much to his embarrassment, in Yuna's Songstress outfit!

"Okay…that's wrong…" Buddy said, seeing Kaiba dressed up in Yuna's clothes as Joey, Tristan, and Brother began to roll on their backs, laughing manically, which caused Kaiba to seethe.

'Let's just get this over with…then I'll deal with those three later…' Kaiba thought as he then began to "sing" and dance…

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_I can hear you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_Far beyond the hazy borders of my heart_

_I can see a place_

_It's something like this_

_Every now and then I don't know what to do_

_Still I know that I can never go back_

_All the things I've seen_

_In those hazy dreams_

_Can't compare to what I'm seeing now_

_Everything's so different_

_That it brings me to my knees_

_And though, I know, the world of real Emotion_

_Has surrounded me_

_I won't give into it_

_Now, I know,_

_that__ forward Is the only way my heart_

_Can go_

_I hear your voice calling out to me_

_You'll never be alone_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_I can hear you_

_And if I find the real without emotion_

_Has surrounded me_

_And I can't go on_

_And you are there_

_The moment that I close my eyes_

_You comfort me_

_We are connected for all of time_

_I'll never be alone_

_And oh, I know, the world of real Emotion_

_Has surrounded me_

_I won't give into it_

_Now, I know,_

_that__ forward Is the only way my heart_

_Can go_

_I hear your voice calling out to me_

_You'll never be alone_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_What can I do for you_

_I can hear you_

_I can hear you_

Kaiba ended the song in a pose as Rikku watched on with admiration. The laughing boys (Tristan, Joey, and Brother.) were still laughing, while everyone else had mix reactions. Some thought it was funny while others felt sorry for Kaiba…

Mokuba noticed the laughter. "It's not that funny guys!"

"But you gotta admit, Kaiba would make a good girl!" Joey smiled.

"Yeah, who knew that Yuna's outfit would fit?" Tristan added.

"Well I think you all went a bit too far…" Mokuba said, than began to chuckle a bit. "Even though, it was kinda funny to see Seto lip sync!"

Kaiba held his head down in shame, "What did I ever do to deserve this…" He muttered.

"Let's see: You constantly insult us, especially Joey. You tore up Yugi's Grandpa's Blue Eyes. You cheated in your second duel with Yugi. You always look to put people down." Tea counted off the reasons he was getting what he was getting with her fingers. "Need I go on?"

Kaiba deactivated the garmet grid, morphing Yuna's dress back to his black long-sleeved turtleneck and pants, and threw it back at Yuna, who managed to catch it.

"HEY!" Yuna protested. "Be careful with it!"

"Don't think I won't forget this!" Kaiba hissed as he walked to the door that led back inside of the Celsius. "We're leaving! Let's go Mokuba!"

"But Seto!" Mokuba protested. "We…"

"I SAID LET'S GO MOKUBA!" Kaiba screamed as his little brother followed. Before Kaiba waked in, he then got a look as if he was forgetting something. "Where's my coat?" He asked in a demanding tone as he then spotted a certain Thief wearing his white sleeveless trenchcoat.

"Hmm?" Rikku noted Kaiba's icy-cold glare as she looked down. "Oh heheheh…" She laughed nervously as she removed the coat and handed it to him. "Here ya go!"

Kaiba snatched it as he then placed the coat back on and headed inside with Mokuba. "If you geeks ever want to go home, now is your only opportunity! Otherwise, tough luck…"

…

"So Tea, you got all of your things?" Yugi asked as he, Bakura, Joey, Serenity, Tristan, and Tea stood on top of the deck of the Celsius!"

"Yep…" Tea nodded as she held up her bag. She was sad that she had to go, just as she was starting to get the hang of the whole Sphere Hunting thing. Plus she's made a lot of new friends. However, as much as she wanted to stay, she had to go back. After all, she still had to go to school! It was a good thing that she left on a Friday so she could make it back to school without missing a day.

"Teyi!" Rikku walked over and gave her a device which was known as the Garmet Grid. "Here, take it! It's yours!"

Tea accepted it. "Really?"

"Sure! Shinra could just make another one!" Rikku shrugged as she then poked Shinra with her elbow. "Right?"

Shinra let out a sigh, "Right…"

"We also have some Spheres!" Yuna added as she gave one to Joey and the other to Tristan. "One has the duel, and the other has Kaiba's 'performance.'

Tristan and Joey smiled like evil villains who just devised a take over the world plot. "We're gonna have a lot of fun with these!" Tristan smiled.

"Too bad we couldn't get it on DVD!" Joey smiled as Kaiba, from behind, smacked him and Tristan…hard, causing the Spheres to drop from their hands and consequently, roll off of the ship to down below. "The hell was that for, Kaiba?"

"For this whole 'Lip-Syncing' nonsense, Wheeler! I know you, Taylor, and Brother had something to do with this!" Kaiba replied coldly as Mokuba followed behind.

"Umm…about that?" Rikku explained. "It was my idea! Joey and Tristan thought that you in Yunie's songstress outfit would be sick and wrong. They were more favoring the Moogle Suit."

"You're the reason why I had to dress like a girl?"

"Well, you do have a girl's haircut…" Tristan reminded.

"Like your hair's any better, Shark Boy! I'm surprised that with-" Kaiba was interrupted by a blaze of denim running up to Tea as a whining Brother then clutched her legs.

"Please don't go my Dancing Goddess!" He begged! "We need you! I need you!"

"What a loser…" Kaiba muttered as Rikku gave a glance at Serenity.

"Like I asked before, do you want to trade brothers?" She asked embarrassed over her brother.

"Brother, I have to go! I have school I need to finish!" Tea explained which made Brother cry even more. "Okay, I promise to email you!"

"BUT WE DON'T HAVE EMAIL!" Brother bawled, much to the disdain of everyone.

"I heard of people being emotionally attached to someone, but this is ridiculous…" Joey said.

Rikku had enough as she then kicked Brother in the ribs. "Lay off her, Sicko!"

"Man up! She's not even worth crying for!" Kaiba shouted at Brother, irritated, as he was met with a glare from Tea. "What's wrong? Are you going to tell me to play nice?" He asked the brunette girl

Tea walked over, standing in front of Kaiba as she gave a grin.

"What are you smiling ab-" He then felt a platform-heeled boot hit his right shin as Tea gave an innocent smile.

"Nope!" She chirped.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…" Tristan said while Joey whistled a sound of a plane going downward.

Tea looked back towards Brother. "Don't worry, I'll come back someday. Okay?"

Brother sighed. "Okay…" With his head down, Brother walked back to Buddy who, out of pity, gave him a hug and patted him on the back.

"That'll do, man…" He said. "It wouldn't have worked out anyway…"

"Maybe you're right…" Brother nodded. "At least I still have Yuna…"

Apparently Rikku heard that as she walked over and pinched him in the ear. "OKAYIDONTIDONTIDONT!" He screamed in pain, fearing that he'd lose feeling in the ear.

Kaiba groaned, "Can we please leave already!?" He shouted! "The soon I leave this place, the better!"

"Fine!" They all shouted back at him, save for Mokuba, who just shook his head in pity for his older brother.

Kaiba took the transphere from his coat as he then activated it. Thus a portal opened. A smile came to Kaiba's face as this was actually the first time he got to use it. The other time it was used by Logos and Ormi. Needless to say, he was proud of himself.

"Let's go…" He ordered. "If you get left behind, too bad!"

"Fine…" Tea snapped back at Kaiba before turning towards the Gullwings. "Well…goodbye you guys!"

"Take care Tea! All of you!" Yuna said.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Rikku said, winking at both Yugi and Tea.

"Have a safe trip!" Buddy said.

"TEA!" Brother cried which caused everyone to sigh.

"Well…thanks for having us!" Yugi said

"Your world is truly remarkable." Bakura added.

"Take care of each other!" Serenity said.

"If yer ever in Domino, look us up!" Joey offered.

"Or just come by the Turtle Gameshop!" Tristan added. "We're always there."

"You geeks practically live there…" Kaiba reminded.

"Anyway, just stop by!" Tristan finished as he and his friends stepped through the portal, save for Kaiba and Mokuba.

"Bye you guys! Mokuba said.

"Bye Mokie! And remember what I said?" Rikku reminded.

"I do! And don't worry, I'll make sure of it!"

"Make sure of what?" Kaiba said in a stern tone towards his brother. "What did you and Rikku talk about?"

"Umm…well…I'll see you in Domino Big Brother!" Mokuba rushed through the portal, leaving Kaiba the only one left to go through.

"It was okay having you around I guess…" Yuna said admitingly.

"Hmph, don't expect me to send you a postcard anytime soon…" Kaiba said as he walked towards the portal. "I have a-"

"Company to run, right?" Rikku finished for him then waved. "Bye bye Setty!"

"Look for the last time, DON'T CALL ME 'SETTY!'"

"Alright Kaiba-Boy, sheesh!"

"OR 'KAIBA-BOY!' I ALREADY HAD ENOUGH FROM PEGASUS CALLING ME THAT!" He yelled.

Rikku sighed, "_Somebody_ need's anger management."

"Whatever…" Kaiba walked through the portal.

"I love you!" Rikku called out, much to Yuna sighing.

"Why do you like him?" Yuna asked her cousin. "I know that I'm not the one to really hate someone, but that guy's a jerk!" She said honestly.

"He may seem like it, but deep down he's a real nice guy who really shy!" Rikku said. "At least he's much better than Gippal…" Rikku then blinked, now realizing what she just said about her former love interest. "I didn't just say that out loud, did I?"

…

Three months have passed since Tea first left Domino and not that much has changed. When they came back, it was only a week left before school was out for the summer. Joey and Serenity took a trip to New York to visit relatives with their mom as Yugi worked overtime at the game shop. When he first saw his grandson, Soloman Moto was in shock at Yugi's sudden change. But after Yugi explained his fusion with the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, things were back to "Buisness as Usual."

Tristan, meanwhile, was thinking about how to win Serenity's heart. Just because she said that she had no interests in dating him, doesn't mean that she couldn't have a change of heart. Hey, it could happen.

If anyone was the happiest out of the gang, it was Bakura. With the Millennium Ring gone, he couldn't be possessed anymore and was no longer worried about what would happen if he and Yugi were in the same room with their respected Millennium Items. Hopefully it stayed that way. Brother did throw the ring into the deeper parts of the Farplane, right? Right!?

Kaiba had a change of heart…sort of. He decided to go back to Spira, but for business purposes only! He knew that Pegasus thought that since he didn't like this place, he wouldn't do business in this "Fairytale Goldmine" as he had called it, leaving Industrial Illusions with zero competition. With the employment of a few workers, the construction of the Spira branch of Kaiba Corp was underway. Mokuba had come along too but not only to see the birth of Spira's Kaiba Corp, but hang with his new friend Rikku! When asked about the young CEO, he told her that he was "doing good!"

And what about Tea?

She didn't feel threatened by Serenity anymore. In fact, they're planning a sleep over at Tea's house. No way were they going to go over Serenity's place with Joey around. They needed some place private so they could have some serious girl-talk. Tea did thought about the Gullwings and Spira. She thought about the girl talks Yuna and Rikku had with her. She wanted to get to know Paine, but she was always secretive and hardly around. She thought about Shinra's inventions, his inventions going haywire, then him saying "I'm just a kid" as an excuse. She even missed Brother "worshiping" her, and especially Rikku's actions over her brother's behavior. Then Buddy saying to him "Let it go, she's not interested!" As much as she didn't want to hurt his feelings, she didn't had the same feelings for him as he had for her. She saw him as a friend and nothing more. Besides, she already had a love interest…

Speaking of Yugi, they plan on going out on their first date, after years of hiding it from each other, they finally admitted their feelings. Instead of the cheers and happiness for them they expected from their friends, they got "It's about time," _then_ came the cheers and happiness for them.

Now, the gang has good news and bad news. The Bad news: School was starting again. The Good news: The gang were now Juniors!

"So, let me get this straight: You were with Serenity without me around and you couldn't even get her to go out with you?" Duke Devlin said to Tristan as they were seated in desks at their homeroom. "I thought you were pathetic, but seriously!"

"She would've turned you down too, Devlin!" Tristan retorted.

"Why don't we let her decide?" Duke smirked. "She's now a freshmen so we can just ask her."

"Why don't you just lay off the poor girl?"

"Why don't ya _both_ stop talking about my sista?" A familiar Brooklyn-accented voice interrupted the two's argument. "She's not interested in either of ya!"

"And how would you know, Joey?" Duke asked, offended.

"Yeah Joey? Do you know something we don't?" Tristan added.

"She likes someone else." Joey simply said.

"Who?" Both boys asked the blonde.

"I'll tell ya this, he doesn't go to our school! As a matter of fact, he doesn't even live in Domino!"

"He doesn't?"

"Nope…"

"Who do we know who doesn't live in Domino who she has a crush-" Tristan blinked as it hit him. "…You're kidding me, right?"

"What Tristan?" Duke asked. Since he didn't go with them to Spira, he was pretty much left in the dark.

"She couldn't possibly have a crush on-"

"There you three are!" Tea said as she, Yugi, and Bakura walked in. "We've been looking for you!"

"I was just telling the Romeos over here the bad news." Joey explained.

"How do you know anyway Joey?" Duke asked. "After all, you could just be saying that to get us to leave Serenity alone!"

"I don't need to do anything to get you to leave Serenity alone." Joey informed. "She can handle it herself."

"If you three stooges are done arguing over trivial matters such as that crybaby freshman, I have work that needs to be done." Kaiba said coldly as he walked to a desk in the back row.

"So how's business in Spira Kaiba?" Joey asked.

"Did you finished the construction of Kaiba Corp?" Bakura asked.

"If you must know, not only is Kaiba Corp up in running in Spira. But a gateway between Domino and Spira has been made. As for the money exchange goes, I've set up a successful system." Kaiba smirked, but he wondered why he was telling them of all people. Was it because to show off his superior skills as a businessman, or was it a friendly gesture towards the gang who he referred to as "The Geeks." "I like to see Pegasus top that!"

The bell began to ring as everyone took their seats. Suddenly the teacher, a young woman in her late twenties, walked into the classroom with a clipboard.

"Okay class! Before we begin to take attendance, I like to make an announcement." She began. "As you all know, Domino High has taken part of the Student Exchange program! And in this homeroom we have two students that decided to take a part in housing our guests: Ryou Bakura and Seto Kaiba.

While everyone would expect Bakura to be kind enough to do so, everyone was in shock to learn that Kaiba has a part in it.

"Mokuba put me up to it…" Kaiba said as he glared at everyone.

"Oh come on Kaiba, this will be fun!" Bakura stated.

"As if I couldn't stand to be around these idiots at school, I'll have to hang around with one, let alone one who's not even from this country!"

"Well Mr. Kaiba, it's too late to get out of it." The teacher read off the list. "Okay Mr. Bakura, your guest will be…From Egypt, Marik Ishtar!"

"MARIK!?" Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Duke exclaimed as the Blonde Egyptian walked in ignoring the worried glances from the class, especially from Yugi and co.

"Please take a seat next to Mr. Bakura." She asked as Marik sat next to Bakura, apparently he was between him and Yugi.

"Hello Yugi!" Marik greeted. "You look different from the last time I saw you."

"It's a long story…" Yugi said as Joey and Tea were whispering to each other.

"Can we trust him Tea? This is the same guy who took control of our minds." Joey reminded.

"Yeah, but he's changed from what I've heard. People make mistakes. After all you weren't exactly the nicest guy at one time." Tea reminded Joey of his former self.

"At least I never tried to kill anyone or manipulate anyone."

"Mr. Wheeler and Miss Gardner, do the two of you need detention?" The teacher asked them.

"We're sorry…" They both said in unison.

"Good. Now where were we? Oh yes! Mr Kaiba, now it's time for you to meet the student who'll be staying with you!"

"Just tell me his name…" Kaiba said, wanting to get it over with.

"Actually, your guest is a girl!" She informed him.

"Oooooooooh!" Some of the other students were smirking at Kaiba as they started a chant in a singsong voice. "Kaiba got a girlfriend, Kaiba's got a girlfriend…"

"QUIET!" Kaiba snapped as he began to glare at everyone.

"Anyway, she's not from around here."

"Where's 'not from around here?'" Kaiba asked. "Is it in Spain? Germany? France? India?"

"Nope…she's not even from this world!" She said, which caused a few smiles to form on the faces of Tea, Joey, and Tristan.

"So she's an alien?" Kaiba said sarcastically.

"No, but let's just say that your invention is making this all possible." She explained it to him.

"What do you mean 'my invention is making this all possible?' What does that have to d-" Kaiba stopped as he then thought. 'She couldn't be talking about that Transphere gate that I recently just installed? It was just a few months ago?'

"Yes Mr. Kaiba. Thank to your new Transphere Gate!"

Yugi blinked, "Doesn't that lead to…"

"It's about to hit the fan…" Joey said in a teasing voice. Obviously having a feeling on who Kaiba's guest was going to be.

'No it can't be…' Kaiba was now certain on who the foreign exchange student was, the student that was going to be staying with him for the rest of the school year. "Please no. Please no. Please no. Please no."

"She's not like anyone in this school, or in this city for that matter, has ever seen." The teacher continues as Duke began to notice Kaiba's faint expression.

"Guys, what's with Kaiba?" Duke asked.

"Just wait and see, man!" Joey smirked as Kaiba began to sweat.

'Anyone but her…Anyone but her…' Kaiba thought repeatedly. 'If there's any justice in this world it will be anyone but her!'

"Your guest for the school year is…"

"Here it comes…" Joey smiled, rubbing his hands together.

Kaiba's eyes were closed at this point. But as he opened them, he saw her. She was wearing the girl's Domino High School uniform. She had Green eyes with faint swirls in the irises. Long Blonde Hair with a few strands braided held up by a Blue Headband. And that smile. That damned cheery smile. The only thing in Kaiba mind right now was this: 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

"SETTY!" Rikku cried as she ran to hug the shocked (and petrified) CEO! Maybe she was a bit too excited as when she grabbed him in a hug, she and Kaiba fell back as the chair was knocked down.

"She's heeere!" Tristan and Joey said in a sing-song voice.

"Would you mind filling me in?" Marik asked Yugi.

"Ditto!" Duke added.

"Long story short: Rikku has a crush on Kaiba." Joey explained. "The reason why's beyond me..."

"This can't be happening…" Kaiba muttered as he was being hugged by the young Al Bhed girl.

"Oh Setty, we're gonna have so much fun!" She said. "It's gonna be you, me, and Mokie! It'll be one helluva year!"

"Wow Kaiba! You sure have your way with the ladies!" Duke smirked.

"Oh go shove a dice up your ass Devlin!" Kaiba glared.

* * *

END 

And that, my friends, is the end of "A New Path!" It's been one helluva ride. And now it's all come to an end. But fret not there will be a sequel for this. When it'll begin, I don't know. But if I get motivated enough, I might start as early as next month. Anyway, here's the sequel's title and preview:

**Spira's**** Tournament**

Summary: For the school year, Kaiba's unfortunately stuck with Rikku as his guest, but will he have a change of heart for the Blonde Al Bhed Girl? Also, Pegasus is planning on starting a new tournament that'll take place in both Domino and Spira. However, the evil Yamis are back, but so is a certain Maester. But don't worry, help is on the way! Who? You'll have to find out!


End file.
